Happy Thanksgiving!

On Sunday, we had a teacher and preacher from Nigeria worship with us and bring us God’s Word. He was charming, witty, and genuine, and he had some real words of wisdom for me personally and for the whole congregation. He shared stories of the explosive growth the church is experiencing in Nigeria, so much so that one pastor serves 36 different mission districts or worshipping communities. He spoke of ‘raw’ faith and witness, a passion and a desire to make the cross of Christ known in all the world. And it is that one cross that unites people in all corners of the earth under the same banner. Yet we seldom ‘feel’ that divide in our lives as we go about our days. Maybe we experience it a week out of the year with a trip to Jamaica, Kentucky, or some other mission field where we unite under the cross of Christ, but inevitably we return home and the feeling can fade. I think we can find a mission field right in our own backyard, or kitchen, or community center. Start with kindness, make it your mission to improve the day of everyone you encounter. Why not start today? Or tomorrow?

It really is too bad that we need to mandate a day of the year and call it the day of thanks. We should take a note from the emotionally sappy mom, grandma, or aunt that always asked the question at the dinner table, “What are you thankful for today?” Make that question and the answer a part of your daily routine. Make giving thanks a daily habit.

Make Thanksgiving just an excuse to get together with family and eat turkey because giving thanks is a joyous experience of everyday living…

Because of them...

I just got back from Washington DC late last night. Jess had a conference for work and so I decided to tag along and enjoy the nation's capital. I hadn't been there since 9th grade and I honestly can't remember that trip at all, so I was due for a trip back. It was a profound experience, thinking about all that goes in to creating and sustaining this great nation. I think what struck me the most was the honor and respect given to those who made this country what it is. From the Jefferson memorial to the Lincoln and Washington memorials, I was struck by the size of the statues. But it is only fitting, for these men were truly giants. I mourned a little knowing that the days of those giants is likely over. The modern political battlefield leaves very few healthy enough to take on such monumental struggles.

It was later in the evening when battlefields came to mind in a different way. We were visiting the WWII memorial, a truly overwhelming experience that I knew would have an impact on me. I know I'm a little late for veteran's day, but the deep appreciation and gratitude I have for those who have served and do serve is truly humbling.
As we entered into the interior oval of the memorial, a large group of schoolkids was gathered, waiting to enter. They were rowdy and I grimaced as I noticed the "Quiet, Respect Please" sign near the entrance. I knew it wouldn't be a great mix. Jess and I were a quarter of the way around, caught up in the experience, when I heard some splashing. One of the jr. high aged kids was trying to splash water at his friends from one of the reflecting pools. I stopped and turned and stared at the kid, giving him a look that could have frozen that pool over. I waited for him to get it and turn and run after his friends before I turned back to Jess. I remember saying something along the lines of, "These kids don't get it, why even bring them here?" Jess, always the level headed one, reminded me of the undeveloped brain of the adolescent, but I was already feeling some reality sink in.
It was because of them. Our men and women fight and die so kids can be kids. Here I am getting after some kid I don't know because he is being who he is supposed to be. They get to run and laugh and be naughty because of the freedom that has been won for them.
I guess I needed to be reminded of a history lesson that night as well...
Thank you veterans, for the gift of freedom.

Opportunity cost...

I'm not an economist, but I play one in real life. What I mean is that every day I leverage my knowledge against the market. Work, family, friends, leisure, these things all make a claim on my most limited resource: Time. That said, I've come to embrace the concept of opportunity cost. Like most things in life, opportunity cost dwells in a place of tension between two extremes. The first extreme is to be unable to say no. Any request made of you receives an instant and enthusiastic yes. "Can you help me paint my house?" "We need new windows, who will replace them?" "Can you help me out by taking on this extra project at work?" "Can you make it to my school play?"
Saying yes to everything guarantees that we will over-commit and under-perform.

The other side of the coin, of course, is to say no to everything. "Can you help me paint my house?" "We need new windows, who will replace them?" "Can you help me out by taking on this extra project at work?" "Can you make it to my school play?"
Saying no to everything guarantees that people will leave you alone.

Since I consider our time on earth best spent while living out our Godly calling community, we have to find our place of tension, where the request and the response take into consideration our priorities and our aforementioned calling.
For example, I am often asked to attend evening meetings, some of which are on my calendar, others of which fall under the category of, "It would sure be nice if a pastor was there..." That said, I try to limit the number of evenings I'm away from my family. For each meeting I commit to, I sacrifice time at home putting the kids to bed, connecting with Jess, etc. So, the opportunity cost involved with attending a meeting is that I am away from my family. Attending a meeting "cost me" the opportunity to spend time at home.

I used to love gardening. Correction, I still love to work outside, planting, nurturing, etc. But, I don't do it anymore. Something has to give when you have kids. The gardens are a mess, stuff doesn't get mulched or weeded or watered. Oh well. My family is awesome. I love playing with the kids, date nights with Jess, taking walks or going to the park. My gardens are a mess but my house is in order...

It turns out that if you manage your finances, you can pay people to do things that would otherwise make you sacrifice the things you value.

Opportunity cost will live in a different place for each of us as we set priorities, balance a budget, and work overtime either at home or place of business during seasons in our lives. My wish for you is that you might take the time to consciously consider what you give up in order to do something else in your life. Our busy lives often force us to do one thing at the expense of the other, and I think we need to take some time to evaluate and re-evaluate those decisions and really be assured that we've put them in the right order.

God doesn't want your money...

So I've been meaning to get this out there because I'm passionate about it, but I was hoping to get the audio fixed. Alas, our recording of the service never happened, or it did, but with the audio levels turned to zero, so it recorded zero. This is my message from October 10th, the second week of our annual giving campaign. Watch this video first, I used it to introduce the subject of God and money...




and here is my message...

Untitled from Luke Schmidt on Vimeo.

No Fear...

It would be a nice way to live, don't you think? No fear. More than a catchy logo from a few years ago. (What happened to that, by the way?) Instead, just a way to go through life.
I remember this little doggy nightlight I had when I was a kid (12). I wasn't a big fan of the dark. Active imagination and too many sequels of Nightmare on Elm Street. So, I compensated for Freddy's claws with a little puppy nightlight. It made sense at the time.
I wonder where our fear first comes from. Raising Kate, who just turned 4, has given me an interesting perspective on fear. Fear of strangers, fear of bugs, fear of men in general (can I sign her up for that one through high school?). The one that still confuses me is a fear of the dark. One night she just said her room was too dark. We had a nightlight on, the door cracked, but she said it was too dark and that she was scared of the dark. I've been very careful to monitor what she hears and sees, so I didn't know where this came from.
Is fear just a human tendency, a preservation mechanism of sorts? Why some things and not others? And the big question, what alleviates, or dare I say cures, fears?
I think fears, unless medically diagnosed, are really masks for the worries and anxieties we have in our lives. Was Freddy Kruger my big fear as a kid or did I just really not want to get sliced into ribbons?
I began to finally understand fear in context when I made it into a contest. In this corner, fear. In the other corner, God. Go get it, God.
Really, that was one of my earliest realizations of relying on God, abiding in God. Imagine if we had constant faith in the one that creates and sustains and delivers us. No fear...
Here is Kate illustrating no fear. She turned 4 in September. Poppa is proud. Momma was at home, obviously.

How do they do that?

I spent the morning yesterday walking the halls of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which was really an overwhelming experience. I was expecting walls of paintings and some sculpture, probably some 'modern' art that was a bunch of trash glued together. You know, the basic museum scenario. Instead, I found myself enthralled by the depth and quality of the collection. From 5000 year old jars to original Matisse paintings, I'm kicking myself for not spending at least a few hours there monthly. From sculpture so detailed you could almost make out individual hairs to a dining room set created by Frank Lloyd Wright, they had me hooked.
Then a realization hit me. I have no artistic abilities. Or perhaps better said, I've never had the opportunity to see what gift for the arts I might have. I think it started to sink in when we saw the Native American artwork, and just a "simple" basket. What was utilitarian for them was an ornate maze of weaving with a perfect pattern, yet created by human hands. I remarked to Jess, "they must start doing this at childhood and just perfect it through life."
Of course, the next question was, "What are we teaching our kids?" Seriously, what are we giving our kids to equip them, what are we teaching them to create? I think of the countless hours of watching TV, playing video games, and surfing the net. And that's just me. I thank God that I didn't grow up in the age of texting, I love that a personal conversation still sounds appealing to me.
Now I'm not insisting that our kids weave baskets or paint or sculpt. But what if they did, or what if we gave them the opportunity to explore the hidden talents and gifts that God has given them, given us? Jess and I resolved that when the kids were a little older, we're going to take a painting class, or a sketching class. (I made a butter dish in Park and Rec pottery growing up. A potter I am not...) We're going to take the opportunity to give Kate and Will chances to create things. Hopefully, we can do it as a family. What a great way to experience history and maybe even create a piece of it...

Pastor Luke

Who doesn't love trivia?

I'm a sucker for any sort of challenge. I like to compete, I love to win. Sometimes I'd be better served by conceding defeat. In a hotly contested game of 'Apples to Apples', a game where people assign random adjectives to people, places, or things in hopes of being selected the best response, I thought I had played a real humdinger. My wife Jess was the proctor for the round and she chose some poor effort another person had made. I told her that was a poor choice, mine was obviously better. (Smart married people see where this is going...) She said, "Well, that's my opinion." To which I promptly and imprudently replied, "Well, then your opinion is wrong."
We like to be right. We like to win. We like knowing the answers. Since I write this blog with a mainly Christian audience in mind, then I need to share my point from that perspective. A recent study asserts that Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, white, black, and hispanic, don't know much about religion. (I won't get stuck here on the importance of religion, but a common ground understanding is essential for conversation) From Hinduism to Mormonism to Judaism to one's own faith tradition of Catholicism or Protestantism, ignorance seems to be in full effect.
Please be careful to understand I'm not advocating that we alleviate ignorance so we can best win religious arguments. Instead, we are creating the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation with our fellow man about what is near and dear to their hearts. Life together starts with a conversation. That said, I challenge us to learn the basics about the other religious traditions, and dig in to our own with a renewed passion. God calls us to Grow Deep and Reach Out. Here is a place to start.

Pastor Luke

Need vs. Want

I’m working on the concept of “need” and “want” with Kate, my four year old daughter. Kate recently won the grand prize at a local fall festival, a shiny new bike! (For a 14 year old boy…) They included the gift receipt thankfully, so I told Kate we’d take it back. When asked what she’d do with the money, she said, “Can I put it in my bank? Piggy is hunnnngry.” I couldn’t say no to that so I gave her some cash and kept the $130 gift card of store credit.
What? We’ll buy groceries and necessities with it. We provide for her needs and a reasonable amount of her wants. But when her wants become extravagant or unhealthy, we have to say no. As parents, Jess and I know what is good for her and what is too much. Switching gears, I find myself in the same situation as Kate, only with different “wants.” Shouldn’t I be able to decide what is appropriate for me? God has some input on that question. Wouldn’t you like to why God doesn’t give you everything you want, or even some of the things you think you need? Find the answers to that and more in our upcoming ACTS series called “Keep Climbing.” It starts October 3^rd at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Park and runs for four weeks on Sunday mornings during each of the worship services. If you worship at 9, attend at 10:30. Worship at 10:30? Start the day off great and join us at 9… Walk with a large and small group as you discover how God works with us through the challenges in our lives. Grow Deep on Sunday mornings!

Blessings,

Pastor Luke