St. Matthew Lutheran Church- Rocklin, California

Have you ever heard the phrase, “where the rubber meets the road?” It means something like, “when you scrape all the veneer of life away and you are faced with a foundational issue and question, what will be your answer, your reaction, and your action?” That is, on the most basic level, who are you and what will you stand for….and what will it look like? Such is the question of facing impending de...

But wait! We will give you another one absolutely free…just pay shipping and handling… Sometimes things are too good to be true, aren’t they? Today, we join Nicodemus as he was “blown away” by the things of Jesus which, while perhaps too good to be true, are true. And they are true for you as well. Freedom!

Have you seen a movie or watched one of those shows such as Law and Order where the conviction of a horrible criminal hinges on someone testifying to what they know and saw in court, even though their life has been threatened and may be forfeited if they do? It’s always easy to say, “Oh, they need to testify,” ….but what if it was you? Whether we realize it or not, we often come to such Turning Po...

Both of my sons were lifeguards. One of the things that always amazed me was that how in their training they were taught to be explosive –almost violent- in order to rescue someone. Have you ever been rescued…when you really needed it? What did it feel like? How strong and explosive did your rescuer need to be? Today, we focus on those life and blood things from which Jesus rescues us. He is stron...

I remember seeing a movie where, in a very difficult and dicey situation, as “all hell is breaking loose,” a man named Faramir says to himself, “this is an opportunity for Faramir to show his character.” What do you do –how do you show your character – when “all hell breaks loose” in your life? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!

Have you ever heard of the West Coast Offense? If you are a football fan, you have. Before the San Francisco 49’ers with Bill Walsh popularized it, the mindset of almost all of the coaches of the NFL was that an offense had to be built around running the football –and only then could you pass effectively. Bill Walsh with the West Coast Offense turned this thinking around. Mindset. It is the way we...

Do you remember the last time a hurricane hit the Florida coast? Do remember seeing film during the Newscast of people boarding up their windows and generally “battening down the hatches” in preparation for the storm? That’s what wise people do; they prepare for the storms in life. How? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!

When I was growing up, we spent hours shooting hoops on the basket that my dad had put up on the garage. Every once in a while my dad would get home from work, and seeing us playing, would walk over and say, “one shot!” We would, of course, joyfully pass him the ball...and if he made it, great. If not, he often would say, “One more,” “one more,” “one more,”….until he finally made one. Where do you...

“I think I saw a “puddy cat.” Do you remember the cartoon? The main characters were a parakeet and Sylvester, the cat. Often, Sylvester is pictured with a Good Angel speaking in one ear and an evil angel speaking in the other ear…And when Sylvester listens to the wrong one, he always -and hilariously- suffers for it. But in the Turning Points in our lives, amidst the cacophony of voices, is there...

Failure. I remember losing a championship game 3 yards from the winning touchdown. Devastating. Failure. I remember embarrassing my father because of something wrong I did. Devastating. Failure. I remember failure after failure before God. How about you? It’s not hard. My life is full of them. Devastating. Failure. It always feels like I lost. But no matter how I feel, Jesus is greater…and he won...

Some would say that we live in a scary time. Terrorism. Lawlessness among nations. Economic chaos and upheaval. Ecological concerns. Does it frighten you? Do you ever wonder, as many have who have lived before us, how it will all end? Christmas is about God entering our world. He is Immanuel – God with us! But it is also about a plan – God’s plan; “In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son, b...

In the book of 2 Chronicles, there is a verse where the writer says, “this enemy is too great for us!” And in the book of Psalms there is another verse where the writer says, “our hands hang limp,” again because they are overwhelmed by the power of the enemies which are against them. When is the last time you came up against an enemy that is too great for you? Where is this happening right now? Wh...

“So, what are you going to be when you grow up?” “Where do you want to go to college?” “What do you want to major in?” “What kind of job do you want to get?” These are tough questions!...especially for a 16 year old –or even an 18 year old! Yet, we ask them…often! We try to guide them, at least the thought process. We hire counselors on the High School level to give them direction and help them to...

In every text book that talks about care for the sick and hurting, there is always a section that in Christian circles we would call, “the ministry of presence.” In short, the idea is that the greatest thing one can bring is themselves; to be actively “there,” listening and focusing with a caring heart on the one who is sick and hurting. It is a such a powerful gift to give another who is sick and...

There is a great scene in the “Lord of the Rings” second movie, where King Theoden, overcome with the great evil and seemingly overwhelming destructive force that is against him and his people, with all that he thought secure crumbling around him, for a moment loses his perception of who he is –his very identity - and cries out, “Who am I?”…to which a loyal soldier replies, “You are our king, sire...

Have you ever wondered how all the pieces go together in your life? There seems to be so many questions, so much mystery in our stories. Is there a plan to it all? And if so, where do you –and I – fit in? Today, we look at the story of the wisemen. It is a story full of mystery and unanswered questions, but also one of grace and of God’s plan revealed. It is also a reflection of our stories. We ca...

Another year lived…and another year beginning. It is like we sit on a divide in this moment of time which connects us in both directions. What gifts of grace are you thankful for in this past year? What joys given to you by God’s grace? And as you look back on the year, where do you need healing, comfort, and peace? What wrong can you not fix or change because it is done and there is no going back...

We were in Denver, Colorado the day the Broncos won their first Super Bowl. It was amazing. If you went outside while the game was being played the whole city was like a ghost town, it was so quiet! But once the final whistle blew, everyone went outside shouting and yelping and honking their horns. It was pure celebration….pure joy! Christmas joy is meant for the whole world. We especially celebra...

I remember a recording from a number of years ago where Silent Night was playing in the background as a litany of the horrors of the world from that time was being read, with the last one being that the Red Cross had gone broke. It made you feel so hopelessly….alone. But it’s not true. The reality of Christmas is that we are never alone. “…..and they will call Him Emmanuel which means, ‘God with u...

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse…” Christmas Anticipation. Almost here. What does it mean? What does it look like for us to replace the burdens of multiple expectations laid on us with the Joy of Expectation in Jesus, the king who has come and who is coming?

As part of what I did as a paperboy, I used to go to Disneyland often, together with other paperboys. On one occasion, we took the monorail to the Disneyland Hotel and walked into a large conference hall where there was a Beauty Pageant going on where the dress was Black Tie. We were soon rather forcefully shown the way out. We just didn’t belong. We weren’t dressed for it. On this evening we will...

Have you ever read about or experienced the “nesting instinct” that many women have just before they give birth? I remember with Jeff, our second child, Jane called me home from the Seminary where I was taking a final, yet by the time I arrived she was extremely calm, kind of picking up and cleaning the apartment in anticipation of our second child. Yet, when I measured the time between the contra...

“Get real man.” Have you ever heard this expression? What it suggests is that the person speaking either is not being truthful concerning life or, perhaps more telling, knows nothing and has no understanding of another’s life….what “they are going through.” Christmas, at it’s very heart, is about a God who is real.

When I was in college, I took a class that focused on long distance running. The instructor, who ran with us every day and was very well known nationally in the “running world” would constantly tell us to get our eyes up and look forward so our energy would not be pointed down. Especially when we ran hills, He would say “get your eyes up, look up, that’s where you want your energy to go!” Where do...

I found out a few weeks ago that my daughter, Sarah, is having twins. As I have shared this with people the response often has been one of joy but then is shortly followed by questions of concern….how will they do that?....having a two year old and then two babies besides? Miracles from God always bring change. What are we to do with this?