COVID_19 and Lent

I want to commend again to you the Bridgetown Daily podcast by John Mark Comer (or occasionally another of his church’s pastoral staff). They have been particularly insightful, encouraging and challenging. All are only around 5-7 minutes and are a wonderful supplement to your devotional time or just for you to enjoy. 

Out running this afternoon I heard yesterday’s (March 26) podcast and wanted to share some highlights. What follows is a redacted transcript. To hear the entire thing, - and I highly recommend you do so - go to bridgetown.church/series/bridgetown-daily/ or subscribe via your favorite podcast app.

He starts out saying,

“I find it very interesting that the COVID_19 shut down and the "shelter in place" comes to the west during the time period that we call Lent. Lent is the time in the church calendar when followers of Jesus remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. It starts with Ash Wednesday when followers of Jesus put the symbol of the cross on their forehead in ash to remember that line that will at some point be spoken over all of us at our grave: “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.” To hold before our mind the reality that we are mortal. We are human. We get sick, and in the end we all die. All of us. The stats on death are pretty hard to argue with. 100%. …Human beings are mortal. We are made from the dust and we die.

And that reality is sad… Paul, in the New Testament called death, “the last enemy to be destroyed.” In his theology, Jesus is at war with death, and his resurrection was the decisive victory that one day will spread out to all of Jesus’ followers, and that is what we look forward to on Easter.

But the reality of death is sad,… but it's also liberating, and dare I say, invigorating. In Lent, we remember that we do not need to be afraid. And if we do not need to be afraid of death itself, that opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Kind of the best moments of the church [historically] have been when she was under pain of death, but not scared to give up her own life.

In Lent, we also remember that we need to redeem the time - to not squander our life on trivial things or how many hours a week can we give to video games, or Call of Duty, or online shopping, or endless chit chat, or our own egoistic pursuit of pleasure, or success, or money, or power, or fame, or experience, or more followers on Instagram, or whatever it is. Life is short. We are mortal. We live and then we die. It could be in a century; it could be in a day. We must live for what matters.

And so in Lent, followers of Jesus choose to give up some kind of a pleasure in order to let that abstinence do a kind of deep work in your soul of purging and purifying all of your attachments to the world… stripping you and I down to the bare essence of what life is all about in order to create more space in our budget, in our time, in our schedule, in our life, and above all in our soul, for the presence of God and the life of Jesus who is back from the dead.

But now here's the thing: We are all in lent now. The virus, shelter in place, the economic fallout, all of the uncertainty around the future, it's all a kind of lent a kind of abstinence - a kind of stripping down and purging and purifying our soul and our society. And this virus is an invitation to face reality and to meet God there. The reality that we are human, mortal, frail, vulnerable, susceptible to disease, not nearly as in control as we think. And that is okay.

He references C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters where Lewis makes the point that war (and by extension times of crisis that we currently face) break us out of what he calls “contented worldliness.” In times like this, nobody can believe that they are going to live forever.

“Again, the goal of this insight that we're mortal - that we die - is not fear at all. It's actually not scary for a follower of Jesus because we follow a rabbi who is back from the dead. The goal is rather to wake us up from that contented worldliness - from a kind of spiritual slumber or stupor. The idea that we are mortal - that we are made out of the dust that we die - need not make us morose. Actually, it's more likely to make us joyful, and grateful, and more present to the moment and alive in the marrow of our bones.

So to close,… remember that the body you're in right now, even if it's healthy and strong, it is dying. And one day it will come back from the dead. Feel the reality that you are mortal, that you live in time. Every minute every second is a precious gift. We don't take time - we don't “seize the day,” we receive the day as a gift from God. Not a right, but a gift to be alive. Today is a gift.

Remember that life is short. That it's meaningful and it's beautiful. That it's a gift that you're alive with Jesus, and you need not even fear death itself.”

 Great stuff. Peace be with you all!

Worship Online this Sunday

Since our church is unable to meet in person for corporate worship during the COVID-19 lock-down, I want to suggest some ways to connect with the Body of Christ in worship online.

Our church will not be hosting our own live online service, but there are years of messages archived on our website: First Presbyterian Pine City. Pick your favorite message from the past to refresh your memory or catch up on a series you may have missed! You can stream from the web site or download to listen to at your convenience.

If you'd like to experience live worship online, many churches are hosting services. Some of my favorite are North Point Church in Atlanta (Andy Stanley's church), Menlo Church in California (John Ortberg's church), and Eagle Brook Church here in Minnesota.

Tomorrow, March 22, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. Central our family will be enjoying Michael Jr.'s live comedy watch party on Facebook. This is an 80-minute comedy special, previously released in theaters for one day only and not available in any other format at this time. It will be both hilarious and inspirational. Go to Michael Jr.'s Facebook page to join the fun.

If you'd like to worship through giving you can still do that at home, as well. Just click here or click on the Give page on our church website. You can specify the general fund or our Faith Promise giving toward missions. If you'd like to give to our 150th Anniversary Reaching for the Future fund you can still do so online, but please contact the church so we can make sure it is deposited in the correct account.

So that's the reason!

I heard a great definition of anxiety today quoted by Pastor John Mark Comer: "Anxiety is imaging the future without Jesus Christ in it." Wow. How powerful.

I was sharing with the youth group on Wednesday night one of my favorite passages from Philippians (4:6-7) where Paul encourages (commands?) us: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And for the first time I recall I noticed the four words at the end of the verse preceding it (verse 5): "The Lord is near." and the thought struck me, "So that's why we aren't supposed to be anxious!"

For those who are experiencing heightened levels of anxiety or know those who are, take comfort in that reminder: The Lord is near. For those of us who walk with Jesus we can live with that assurance and the peace - the shalom - of God that will guard our hearts and minds!

An Inspirational Interview Recommendation

Yesterday while our for my run I listened to a wonderful interview yesterday that Pastor John Ortberg did last Sunday with Dr. Condoleezza Rice about her faith a dealing with difficult times. She reflects on 9/11 and the aftermath as well as sharing her own faith journey (and she's Presbyterian!) 

If you're looking for an inspirational listen check out the video here. You can also download the audio as a podcast - just search for Menlo Church in iTunes or your podcast app.

Daily Inspiration

Looking for some daily inspiration during these difficult days? Might I suggest a daily podcast that Pastor John Mark Comer has begun for his church. They are about 5-7 minutes long and are terrific. It's the Bridgetown Daily podcast.

You can find info and links here https://bridgetown.church/series/bridgetown-daily/ or wherever you get your podcast.

Can I Have Your Attention, Please?

[Note: I'm going to be ramping back up my blog posts (that's the plan, anyway). Some or most of what I am posting here in the next few weeks I will also be posting on our church Facebook page, however I'm acutely aware of how toxic Facebook can be and for those who (wisely) decide to take a break from Facebook, this will be a different way of accessing that same content. (Plus you may find some other interesting and/or helpful posts here!)]

To our church family and friends,

As we begin a season where our regular routines have been disrupted I wonder if this may be the time that God wants to use in our lives. I am reminded of CS Lewis' famous line from The Problem of Pain where he writes: "“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

We find ourselves faced with a time where it is going to be difficult to distract ourselves with busyness or numb ourselves with entertainment. For many of us, our schedules have been cleared and we find ourselves with time on our hands. What are we going to do with that time?

I pray we would use the next several weeks as an opportunity to grow with God in ways we might never be able to during the busy, hurried routines of our everyday life.

What might that look like for you? What are some practical ways we can leverage this time to take the next step in our walk with Jesus?

I'd love to hear your ideas. Join the conversation by commenting below.

As always, praying for you and rejoicing in Him!

Pastor Rob

Something New

I'm not usually a fan of chocolate flavored things. I'd much have my chocolate straight, or on top of something, or in chocolate chip form - something like that - rather than chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake or frosting. It often tastes too artificial and overpowering to me. But I had heard good things about the Chocolate Toast Crunch so I decided to give it a try.

I lived much of my life fairly risk-averse. I generally like to find something that works for me and stick with it. For decades I always ate the same types of food and rarely adventured out of my comfort zone. It wasn't until just in the past year that a friend inspired me to try new things. Turns out I do like fish (some types). And pizza with everything. And cheeseburgers with toppings other than just ketchup. All because I decided to try them and try to like them. And I did. (Still not sold on sushi, but you never know.)

When's the last time you tried something new? Not just food, but anywhere in life?

New is risky. You might not like it. On the other hand, you might. In the sage words of an old cereal philosopher, "Try it, you'll like it!" Or you won't. But if you don't try, you'll never know.

(In case you were wondering, the Chocolate Toast Crunch was good. I prefer the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but glad I tried something new.)

Running with Rob and Rosalie

Rosalie and I have signed up to run the DONNA Breast Cancer Half Marathon in Jacksonville, FL,on February 10, 2019. I ran a half marathon in August but this will be Rosalie's first. It's a goal she decided to pursue as a part of her recovery and it's for a great cause. (It doesn't hurt that Florida in February beats Minnesota in February!)

As a part of this event we are each trying to raise $500 toward research (through the Mayo Clinic) and provides financial assistance and support to families living with breast cancer.

If you are interested in helping out, your donation is tax deductible and all money goes toward this cause (and it helps us because our registration fee is waived). You can give at this link: www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/breastcancerhalfmarathonwithrosalieandrob  or just talk to us in person. (To donate online there is a $10 minimum.)

In any case, keep us in your prayers as we prepare for the event! Pray for health for us both and decent weather to train in. Thanks!

Cheapest Gasoline in Pine City

This is one of those life hacks I always think everyone already knows about, but then I run across people who were totally unaware, so here's a little tip for my friends:

A couple years ago when Murphy Oil opened their station in the outskirts of the Walmart parking lot the gasoline prices in Pine City went from some of the highest in the area to some of the lowest. (Thank you, Murphy Oil!!!) I used to wait and try to fill up when I was down in the Cities at Sam's Club, and now our prices (with these savings) often are cheaper!

What many don't realize is that you also get an extra $.03 off per gallon at Murphy Oil when you use a Walmart gift card. I keep one with $50-100 on it and use it to fill up, instantly saving another 3 cents on what is already the lowest price in the area.

In addition, Murphy Oil will take local competitors' coupons. Just clip those Holiday coupons you get in the mail every few weeks and add another 7 to 10 cents off per gallon. They'll also honor Holiday's online coupons (just sign up for Holiday texts and you'll get gas coupon every couple weeks, as well.)

No Holiday coupon? No worries. Murphy Oil will also take $.05 off per gallon if you have a Dragon Football Discount Card. Combine one of those with the 3 cents off using the Walmart gift card and you are instantly saving 8 to 13 cents per gallon, which really adds up if you fuel up as often as we do.

[Update 2022: This is my most popular post, but it is sadly out of date. I have an updated post on this same topic here: https://spahrtracks.blogspot.com/2022/02/what-deal-best-gas-prices-in-pine-city.html]

Garmin and Runkeeper and Strava, Oh my! Sync all your running apps for free

A while ago I posted about Runkeeper which was the first app I began using regularly when running. I still like Runkeeper, but now have an awesome Garmin watch (a Vivoactive 3) so I tend to use Garmin Connect most frequently. But I also have friends who use Strava and it has some good metrics and graphs, too. How to choose?!

Fortunately a while ago I ran across a great website that will sync your runs (and rides and whatever you are tracking). It's called Tapirik and it's free. According to the site, "Tapiriik synchronizes your fitness activities between Garmin Connect, Runkeeper, Strava, TrainingPeaks, SportTracks.mobi, Endomondo, RideWithGPS, TrainAsONE, TrainerRoad, Motivato, Velo Hero, Epson RUNSENSE, Dropbox, Smashrun, BeginnerTriathlete, Pulsstory, Singletracker, Aerobia, and SETIO (your heart rate, cadence, power, and temperature data syncs too)". Most of these I've never even heard of, but for the three main apps I like to use it works great. You do have to click to get things to sync up, but for $2 a year (yes, a year!) you have have it auto-sync (well worth the money!)

Check it out yourself, and if you use Garmin Connect, Runkeeper, or Strava, look me up. It's always more fun to run with people (even if it's only virtually).

Live Fully Alive

Heading out on vacation over to Michigan for a family reunion. (So my daily blog updates may get a little less daily for the next week.)

On our trip we are going to be listening to Ken Davis' book, Fully Alive. Rosalie and I have both read it and are looking forward to now listening as Ken reads it. I would highly recommend this book that chronicles Ken's journey and is a model for all of us as we learn to live fully alive.

Everybody has a Story

 You have a story to tell.

If you're a Christ-follower, you have an amazing story about how you came to know Jesus Christ personally. How many people know your story?

As a pastor, I do a lot of funerals. Very often if I don't know the person I will ask their family about their loved one's faith story. Far too often they don't know or there are vague references to "going to church when they were younger" or something. Either the person didn't really have a vital relationship with God, or they never shared their story.

Write down your story and share it with your loved ones. Now. Don't wait until someday when you're gone and they have to try to guess. You will bless them in ways you can't imagine.

And if you don't have a story about meeting Jesus, maybe this will encourage you to start investigating seriously and be the beginning of the greatest story of your life!

Devotions Done Right

I'm not a big fan of most devotionals. I suppose it's because the vast majority I've seen are simplistic or trite and misuse scripture by taking it out of context. It's really hard to take a few verses of Scripture, explain them and make application in a few paragraphs. (Some pastors struggle to do it in a 30 minute sermon!) That's why I was excited to come across a great daily devotional from the Psalms by Tim Keller and his wife, Kathy.

If you know anything about Tim Keller you will know that he has great respect for God's Word and a wonderful pastoral heart combined with a razor-sharp intellect. This all shows up in this great book. You read a few verses from a Psalm and then the commentary on them and end with a prayer.

This is a wonderful book that I have been using for just a couple of weeks now but fully intend to use for the next year. It's one you could come back to time and time again (although I think they are coming out with one on Proverbs later this year. Have to put that on my list after this one's done).

Do you have a devotional you really enjoy? Share in the comments below.

App Recommendation: Runkeeper

It's free app Friday! (I don't know if that's really going to be a thing on my blog or not, but it's Friday and a free app, so there you have it.)

I started running recently and have tried out a number of apps that track my endeavors. So far my favorite is one called Runkeeper. I asked a number of my friends on Facebook who are runners for their recommendations and everyone had a different one to suggest, but so far Runkeeper is the one I keep returning to.

Most of the functions in Runkeeper are free but you can pay to upgrade to more detailed comparisons of how you've been doing, live updating of runs so your friends can follow your progress (say on a 5K event) and so on. There's a 7-day free trial of the upgrades I may try next month when I run my first 5K (Mora Half Marathon and 5K) so may family can see the live updates. But the basic program is more than capable for all my needs. Plus it synchronizes with a bunch of other fitness equipment and apps, so that's nice.

One of my favorite parts of this app are the different audio stats voices you can select from which give you status updates throughout your run. My favorite voice is "Your Conscience" which is hysterically funny. Hopefully they'll keep adding different options. ("Drill Instructor" is good for a change once or twice, but got old pretty quick for me.)

All that being said, I'm also going to experiment with another app called Strava. It seems to be for more serious athletes and not beginners like me, but we'll see. I'll update this if I end up changing. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend Runkeeper.

Do you have a preferred fitness app? Let me know in the comments.

Don't run? Got nothing for you. You can head back to camp.

Facebook Vs. Blogging

Why a blog and not just post on Facebook?

Facebook is okay (I guess) for the occasional update or personal anecdotes, but it not very good for recording things you want to keep and look back on. (Although their Memories function which shows old posts is entertaining, it's not all that useful.) Plus with all of the advertising and junk that gets shared it's nearly impossible to sort through the important from the ethereal.

With a blog you can record ideas in a more coherent and lasting manner. It's also easier to search and doesn't have all of the clutter that Facebook has become overwhelmed with. Plus it's accessible to everyone - even those without a Facebook account. (There are those out there. I've heard stories of sightings...)

Seth Godin has a great quote about this:

"If you know you have to write a blog post tomorrow, something in writing, something that will be around 6 months from now, about something in the world, you will start looking for something in the world to to write about. You will seek to notice something interesting and to say something creative about it. Well, isn’t that all we’re looking for? The best practice of generously sharing what you notice about the world is exactly the antidote for your fear."

Do you have ideas that you want to share? Maybe look into starting a blog. Let me know in the comments below and I'll link to it (as long as it's not just cat pictures...).

I Am the Candyman

Spent a couple hours today looking for places to purchase candy wholesale for our new store, Spahr Mercantile. In addition to fabric (which is our primary product), we're going to feature Old Fashioned Candy Sticks and will start with 18 different flavors available. I'm also getting some bacon toffee and maple bacon candy on a stick, plus bacon maple chocolate candy to sell as well because... bacon! And since I'm doing the ordering, I get to choose.

What's your favorite candy? Anything suggestions on candy we should carry?

Habit and Crisis

Heard a great interview today on the EntreLeadership Podcast with author Charles Duhigg who wrote The Power of Habit. He talked about keystone habits - like exercise - which impact more than one area of life. (Ironically(?) I was listening to the podcast on my morning run...) One key takeaway: the belief that you have the ability to change your habits is vital.

One quote in particular stuck out: Crisis is not just an opportunity to respond, crisis is an opportunity to change.

What keystone habits do you have in your life?

What crisis are you facing and what opportunities does that give you (or your business or your organization)?

Special Guest Speaker

What a privilege to be able to sit and listen to my son, Jordan, teach yesterday. He was the guest speaker at our church for Sunday morning worship and he did a terrific job. I am so proud of him!

Jordan will be starting his fourth year at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, this fall where he majors in Sports Management with minors in coaching and Bible. If you want to listen to his message, it will be posted tomorrow on our church's web site - firstprespinecity.org.

Where Do You Go to Grow?

I love going to the Global Leadership Summit every year and am looking forward to going again this year. This event is simulcast every year from Willow Creek Community Church. I'm planning on attending the satellite site (probably at New Hope Church in New Hope, MN) on August 10-11 and will be taking some of my senior high students with me. It's really targeted at adults, but I love taking senior highers to help challenge and envision them for what God is doing in the world and might want to do in their lives.

This is a great event for everyone and anyone who wants to grow in their leadership. I always find it inspiring to listen to the world-class faculty they bring in. This year's lineup includes Bill Hybels, Marcus Buckingham, Gary Haugen, Andy Stanley, and a bunch more - including Michael Jr.! Highly recommended. If you get a chance, be sure to attend. It is well worth the investment.

What has been most helpful or inspiring to you as a leader? (Maybe you think you're not a leader, but everyone leads something. Leadership at it's most basic is just influence, and you have influence with some people in your life.)

Pursuing Your Dream

We're spending the day celebrating the Grand Opening of Rosalie's new business venture: Spahr Mercantile. She's spend the last 8 months planning and preparing for this day, including several months renovating our pole barn and turning it into an old fashioned mercantile-style store. In addition to selling fabric, she will also be featuring handmade goods that she's created and some for other local artisans.

Before

After

You can see more pictures and follow along on the Mercantile's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Spahr.Mercantile/

I'm so excited to see her dream become a reality and I'm really proud of her for pursuing it.

So what's your dream? What's keeping you from pursing it?

Introducing Spahr Tracks 2.0

Seth Godin told me to blog. Every day.

He said so right here: https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/seth-godin-explains-why-you-should-blog-daily 

So... Introducing Spahr Tracks 2.0

I'm revitalizing the blog I started years ago but haven't updated in the last 3 years.

Some days I'll write a lot - some days a little. I'll post on things I find interesting that I think may interest you or make you think. If this helps you - glad I could help. If not... these are not the droids you're looking for. Move along. Move along.

I'll try not to ramble and I'll endeavor to keep it interesting and humorous.

And short.

See you tomorrow.