jwinters

[jwinters]

What's in a name?

A friend of mine pastors a church with Lutheran theology at its core that calls itself a "community church". There is no outward display of Lutheranism in its branding, but it is there in the theological outlook.

On the other hand, I've been to churches that display the moniker "Lutheran" on the sign outside who are internally questioning of many of the tenets of Lutheran theology.

I serve as a pastor and campus minister at a place called "University Lutheran," where we do ground ourselves in Lutheran theological perspectives. But the problem that we run into is that there are very few people who really understand those perspectives --- namely, the people who understand what "Lutheran" means on the outside of the building are the people who probably have gone to a church that had "Lutheran" on the outside of the building. As a place where we see part of our mission to help people recover from the abuse of bad theology - this makes for questions about how helpful the Lutheran name is. We want to be clear about our perspective, but we don't want to exclude people because of our name - and the latter happens, A LOT.

I wrestled to come up with a dynamic equivalent...mostly because those things seem to help my thinking. The best I've come up with so far is the "Kirkland" brand. CostCo's "Kirkland" brand is a "generic" brand that is exclusive to CostCo (so does that make it not "generic? maybe...). But many people know that some of CostCo's "overbadging" (putting their name over another brand's product) is surprisingly....good.

We expect store brands like "Kirkland" and "Member's Mark" or the "Publix brand" to be slightly less valuable because they are usually cheaper. CostCo occasionally, however, uses a pretty good brand - for instance their bourbon is produced by the Sazerac company that makes several high-end bourbons. So the product in their "Kirkland" brand is occasionally of high quality.

When I asked social media about this (question: "Does naming a church "(St.)(xxxx) Lutheran Church" assume the value proposition that what people really need is a specifically Lutheran church?"), most of the responses I got back were about:

Trust in the "Lutheran" brand being important for the respondents (who as far I know were all Lutherans).

A desire for "truth in advertising" and not wanting to be hoodwinked by a church of one theological perspective trying to look like another.

And that was about it. I have so many more questions now. These include:

Someone who doesn't care about the "Lutheran" brand but is looking for a Christian church --- would they be offput to find that the "generic" (i.e. "community church") is actually Lutheran in theological perspective?

Does having "Lutheran" branding on the outside change the inner life of the congregation somehow? Seemingly this would be unavoidable, right? So what does the "Lutheran" branding do to a congregation, the good, the bad, and the ugly?

For people who trust the "Lutheran" brand, I get the sense that the brand is important enough that *not* having "Lutheran" on the outside would be enough to have them exclude that church from their considerations. This is because of perceived "unLutheran-ness" (because the branding is not on the outside). What theological proof would sway someone who trusts the brand to go to a church with the brand missing from the marquis of the church?

Just some thoughts for the morning. Thanks for reading.

[jwinters]

What did you expect?

Yesterday I had a conversation with a guy who was pretty impressive. One of the things that I end up doing as a campus pastor with property very close to a college football stadium is selling our parking spots on game days. Yesterday I talked with a guy who bought a spot.

He had brought some friends with him, and they were a little rough around the edges. Almost apologetically he pulled me aside and told me what was going on. His friends were both wrestling with substance abuse being a presence in their lives both growing up and currently. He said, "these are the kind of guys that will go home and drink an 18 pack of beer and not think twice about it." But this guy was trying to show them what life looked like when mood altering substances weren't in charge of the narrative of your life. He had brought them to the store and said, "you get an 18 pack between the two of you, and we're not getting anymore." You can maybe question how he made that decision, but it seemed to be working. He couldn't easily tell them that this was a dry event, but he could manage things.

As he and I talked, we started talking about church. He had been changed by the Holy Spirit working through his church to lead him to make some different decisions for his life. They weren't as dramatic as the change he was leading his friends to, but they were changes nonetheless. As we started to talk about church, he said that he could only be a part of a church that had an active mission into the community. That was his expectation. If a church didn't have that, he was out.

As I heard him, I wondered what it took to have this kind of expectation of church. There are plenty of people who have other expectations of church, but this was his. There's no answer here, but a question. A question I just asked on my social platforms (so please answer if you follow) - what are your expectations of church? I think there are tons of follow up questions here, but I think the first question is a good one for us to ask as Christians and as the Church.

[jwinters]

Don't bury me until

Frances Harper, a poet who happened to have been the daughter of slaves wrote a poem called "Bury Me in a Free Land". It reads almost as a last will and testament. Frances doesn't care where she is buried. She doesn't need a monument. She just doesn't want to be buried in a land where slaves are hunted down, whipped, and sold.

There is a sort of grit to the poem. Frances doesn't need to live life for her own sake. She doesn't need to live her life for the sake of getting a monument or a wonderful epitaph chiseled into her resting place. But likewise, she will be unable to rest until this one thing is done. Frances refuses to be buried in a land of slaves. She will live for this mission. Not for herself, really, but for the mission that animates her - to eradicate slavery from this land and make it free.

You could argue theologically about Frances not being able to control her own destiny. Jesus tells us that we cannot add a single hour to our span of life by worrying. But I don't assume Frances had this in mind with her poem. Instead, she recognized the thing that kept her living - the tension of a specific sin in the world that she felt she was commanded by God to address within her life. Theologically you call this "vocation," the specific call that God has for your life. You have been called to salvation, and along with that salvation, you have been given a task to complete before you are buried and your Baptism is finally completed.

Perhaps you will not be buried for a different reason. Perhaps your mission as called by God is something other than Frances Harper, poet and activist. But whatever it is, perhaps today affix to your mission this idea, "Bury me not....until...."

Read "Bury Me in a Free Land" here.

[jwinters]

Is blogging even a thing anymore?

I remember hearing someone say the other day that what they used to call "blogs" they just call "articles" on their websites. I started "blogging" back when it was cool - like the early 2000's. Now that we're pretty much in our quarter-2000's, things have changed.

The "blogosphere" as we used to call it was a social media domain where people wrote a little more and read a little more than in the then burgeoning platforms of twitter, facebook, and myspace (may it rest in peace). But in an era of substacks and tiktoks, I'm not sure this makes sense anymore - perhaps as is evidenced my lack of posting in general, and more specifically, when I do post, only posting about Cricket's health issues (thank you to those who are praying).

But perhaps this is the perfect time *to* blog, because it is unexpected. Maybe the writing style has to change. But maybe that's an interesting problem. Then again, maybe it's time to let this old Gen X vestigial tail drop and move on into the next evolutionary period. I'm not sure. And that's really all I came to say.

[jwinters]

Stable. That's the word these days with Cricket's tumor. Her clinical appointment with her doctor confirmed that the tumor is stable and not growing. We'd love it to be shrinking, but stable is certainly better than growing. We were able to start talking about the process of considering a steroid wean, which will begin with looping in Cricket's other doctors at Shands at UF. Thanks to everyone who continues to pray. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

[jwinters]

This picture is from October of 2021 when Cricket had her first visit to Emory. At the time, we thought she had cancer. We would find out later that it wasn't cancer but was a mouthful, "angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia," essentially a benign tumor pressing on her eye. It's been quite a journey. Tomorrow we make another October trip to Emory to discuss the results of the latest MRI. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and if possible, for a positive change in the treatment plan for Cricket. We'll keep you updated as we find out more. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

[jwinters]

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for praying along with us. Yesterday we received the radiologist report from Cricket's most recent MRI. It looks like the news is "OK". We were hoping for signs that the tumor had shrunk, and we were hoping that there were no signs that the tumor had grown. What we got was that the tumor has remained stable, essentially the same size as it was about six months ago. We are not sure what this means for Cricket and her treatment plans. We will find that out later this month (on the 23rd). We continue to trust God in this journey as He leads us forth. Please pray along with us in that trust. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

[jwinters]

Hello Cricket fans! Cricket has another MRI this Friday to measure the size of the tumors behind her eyes. Everything has seemed stable to us, and we're hoping that the MRI reveals that the tumors have shrunk enough that we can finally begin weaning off steroids. Please join us in praying that we will see evidence that God has been doing this in her life. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

[jwinters]

Hey there Cricket fans. We continue to be blown away by your prayers for our girl. We got some news on a trip to Emory yesterday where we discussed her last MRI. First, the tumor is decreasing in size, but at a rate that is less than we would have hoped. Because of this, we are going to remain on the same treatment plan for the next 6 months and see how the tumor is behaving. Second, the doctor seems to think the evidence points to "stability" in the tumor size/behavior rather than eradication. In other words, she believes Cricket may always have this rather than it going away. Nonetheless, we know that God has already done mighty works in her life and body, and we know that He can again. We ask that you would continue to pray for her, and especially for God to use the medicine and His own hand to reduce this tumor down to nothing. We continue to rejoice in the good news that the tumor continues to reduce in size and thank Him for His grace there. God is good. All the time. 

[jwinters]

So That Marlowe Could Have a Ball

Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (ESV)

Devotion:

On September 23, 2022, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 700th homerun into the stands at Dodgers Stadium. This home run made him the 4th Major League Baseball player to hit 700 or more homeruns in their career, joining great names like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth. A fan named Marlowe Leal caught the historic ball.

After a few initial offers, Leal decided that he was going to keep the ball rather than attempt to give it back or sell it back to Pujols. Pujols wasn’t too concerned, saying that “Souvenirs are for the fans. I don’t have any problem if they want to keep it. If they want to give it back, that’s great. But at the end of the day, I don’t focus on material stuff.”

When Paul tells the Thessalonians that God called them through the Gospel *so that* “you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” I think of Marlowe Leal. The glory of that baseball that Marlowe held in his hands (and later in November sold for $360,000), wasn’t his own. That glory belonged to Albert Pujols. But Pujols was willing to let him obtain his glory, to keep it for his own.

Like Marlowe Leal and the Thessalonians, God has called us through the Gospel *so that* we can obtain the glory of Christ. Unlike Marlowe, however, God doesn’t do this randomly for someone standing in the right place at the right time. Rather, God sends the glory of His Only Son screaming purposely and directly to you and to each one of us like a well-hit baseball. His glory is now yours because He called you by the Gospel.

On this day after we have received many a gift, let us remember that gift of His glory that He has given to us. Amen.

[jwinters]

Cricket Update! - Thanks to everyone who continues to keep our girl in your prayers. We have been patiently weaning down the steroids from 20mg to 5mg and monitoring progress. Recently we saw Cricket’s ophthalmology specialist at Emory. She informed us that Cricket was the topic of discussion at a recent national conference for ophthalmologists and pathologists. At this conference renowned doctors from all over the U.S. discussed her case and felt her treatment plan was the best they could think of with this rare disease. As the doctor examined her, she noticed something that needed some clarity - so she’s headed to the MRI in the new year. Results will determine if/when we complete weaning off the steroids - something we’ve been praying to be gone for quite a while. As you continue to pray, please pray for good MRI results and that we can finally say “Goodbye Prednisone”. Thanks again to everyone! God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good. 

[jwinters]

So That We Could Be Fanatics

Text: John 15:9–17

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (ESV)

Devotion:

In one of Charles Schultz’s famous “Peanuts” cartoons, Lucy arrives in the frame and says to Charlie Brown, “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. `Tis the season of peace on earth and good will toward men. Therefore, I suggest we forget all our differences and love one another.”

Lucy forgetting her differences with Charlie Brown and loving him? Did I hear that right? This is like the lion laying down with the lamb, the toddler putting his hand over the cobra’s nest. It’s like Republicans and Democrats getting along, like Gators and Seminoles setting aside their differences. It’s like those two people in the congregation who are voted most likely to get in a knife fight in the parking lot finally sharing the peace of the Lord with one another before communion.

In the next frame, Charlie’s eyes light up and a smile appears on his face as he continues the goodwill started by Lucy, saying “That’s wonderful, Lucy. I’m so glad you said that. But tell me, do we have to love each other only at this season of the year? Why can’t we love each other all year long?”

It’s a nice thought, isn’t it? Loving each other all year long? But Lucy, speaking on behalf of our original sin says in response, “What are you, a fanatic or something?”

To Lucy’s question I can see Jesus calmly nodding, “Well…yeah…” Jesus, the ultimate Gospel fanatic, the One Whose zeal for His Father’s house consumed Him. That wild fanatic looks at His disciples then and His disciples now (that’s us) and says, “These things I command you, so that You will love one another…” and Charlie Brown might add ��…all year long.”

And why? Because that crazy fanatic did us one better. He loved us…all eternity long. Not just for Christmas. Not just for a year. But forever. Now that is fanaticism of the most wonderful kind. Amen.

[jwinters]

A dimension of time and space

[jwinters]

Thanks to everyone who has been continuing to pray along with us. Yesterday we had Cricket's post-op appointment and discussed the biopsy pathology results with her doctor. The good news is that they did not find anything previously undiscovered. Her doctor had concerns that there may have been something else going or something that hadn't been fully diagnosed. They were able to confirm that we are dealing only with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE). The head scratching news is that some of the sample contained only inflamed tissue, not ALHE. This is very possibly good news, but more time and observation is necessary. Unfortunately, we were hoping for a discovery of something that might "crack the case" and lead us to better treatment options, and we did not receive that. As a result, we are going to hold fast to her current treatment plan while weaning away the steroids very slowly and praying that her other medicines can take over for what the steroids were doing. As you continue to pray, we ask for prayers that her current treatment plan works to shrink the tumor and get it under control, enabling her to leave the steroids behind. We will continue to update you as we hit new milestones in walking this out with God by our sides. Thank you again for your prayers. God is good, all the time.

[jwinters]

Thank you once again to all of you who continue to pray for Cricket. It truly is humbling and inspiring to know of all the people who are bringing her name to the throne of God along with us. Today's early morning biopsy surgery went very well and she has been recovering nicely all day with even less side effects from anesthesia compared with last time (she spent the day watching Disney movies in the hotel room after we were discharged). Now we wait for pathology to do a thorough job of looking at the sample. Please join us in praying in thanksgiving for the great host of medical professionals who are working out God's will in her life. We ask for quick healing for the incision (this pic is a "before" picture). Finally we ask that you continue to pray that pathology comes up with clarity and clues for better (and easier if possible) treatment options with no steroids. God is good. All the time.

[jwinters]

Rescheduled! Anesthesia found out that Cricket had the flu a little over 2 weeks ago and we found out that anesthesia and recent flu cases don’t mix. It would be too much of a risk for Cricket to have her biopsy surgery today, so we’re getting rescheduled. She was close enough to get the doctor’s signature over her eye. We’re a little disappointed we have to wait but we’re trusting that this is a part of God’s plan and that He is leading us. Please continue to pray with us: for a good reschedule date, for continued health for Cricket, and in thanksgiving for God’s leadership in this. God is good. All the time. 

[jwinters]

Thanks to everyone who continues to pray for Cricket. Her biopsy surgery has been moved up to this coming Thursday (the 11th). Please pray for successful and safe surgery, and that the sample taken will give the doctors better clues as to how to treat this rare disease that is causing her tumors. God is good, all the time.