Posted in Grace, Ministry

My therapy?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A chore recently turned into therapy.

Yard work was until yesterday a necessary chore, just part of being a homeowner. But yesterday, as I raked up bags and bags of dead grass from our lawn, I realized I had stumbled across something therapeutic.

The last week or so has been rough. After a busy weekend hosting our friend Lophane from Haiti, all h*** broke loose. My friend Bud found his mom dead in her apartment. A couple of elderly members were admitted to the hospital in really bad shape. And another, David, was facing major surgery. I’ve dealt with all of these kinds of events before, but this time they just seemed to pile up in a way that left me feeling drained.

Monday morning found me in a pretty bad mood, as was pointed out to me by my neighbor. I came home early that day and to tackle the front yard raking and within half an hour, found myself feeling much better. The beautiful afternoon (we live in Florida, so some February days are indeed beautiful!), the rhythm of raking and the sense of accomplishment made me feel relaxed, refreshed and renewed.

Well, I thought, if this task eases the stresses of ministry, then I’m going to be out here everyday, doing something in the yard. If this helps me unwind, then I’ll be out in the yard every day if I can. Today I stopped and bought some flowers to replace everything that died in last winter’s freeze. I didn’t have a lot of time; just enough to get them all in pots and watered.

I don’t know if it’s being outdoors, or getting my hands dirty, or just focusing on something besides ministry, but I like it and I’ll be out there again tomorrow.

Posted in Life, Ministry

A 90-minute plan

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’m always looking for better ways to manage my time and get things done. Tony Schwartz’s 90-Minute Plan for Personal Effectiveness is surprisingly simple and effective. I’ve actually only tried it once, but found it very productive. My office can be such a distraction-filled place that for this to work, though, I either need to shut the door and turn everything off (email, phone, windows), or get out of there altogether.

Posted in Grace, Ministry

An awkward interruption

Posted on by William Douthwaite

One of the great things about being a pastor is that you never lack for new experiences. I’ll close out the first month of January with one I had today that was partly humorous, partly embarrassing, and a little sad.

It began as a traditional visit to a member in a local nursing home who was recovering from some surgery and receiving an assortment of therapies. After some introductory conversation about this and that, it was time for the sacrament. Bread and wine were put in place, scripture read, and it was time for the words of institution.

As I am almost exactly halfway through the words, a medical assistant steps into the room and interrupts with a rather personal question for the patient. We didn’t quite hear it the first time, so she repeated it using very descriptive words, got her answer, and disappeared.

While all this is happening, I’m thinking, “Is this happening? Doesn’t she what we’re doing? Do I need start over? How embarrassing is this?” I simply picked up where I left off and Christ’s words transformed a not-so-holy situation into holy ground just like they always do. Afterwards I was reminded that Christ didn’t mind being in a world or among people who didn’t recognize him, respect him, or understand what he was all about. And he still doesn’t mind. His grace still works in humorous, embarrassing, sad, painful, and sinful situations. That’s probably why some call it “amazing.”

Posted in Grace

Connection

Posted on by William Douthwaite

For a while now (I think it’s been a really long while), our church has used the slogan “Connecting people with God’s grace.” We hope our ministry will help people connect with the grace of God and we also hope that God’s grace will help people connect with one another. I got a chance to see the latter happen twice today.

One of our newest worshipers, having just moved into her Palm Coast, found herself with a surplus of household items and the need to some help in getting her new home set up. At the same time, we’ve been trying to help a family who was starting from scratch and needed just about everything for their household. And we have some folks out of work looking for any kind of side jobs they can find. Hardly a coincidence, definitely a grace moment as God brought the right people together at the right time.

Posted in Life, Ministry

Haiti a year later

Posted on by William Douthwaite

It’s been a year since the earthquake hit Haiti, devastating an already devastated country. Where were you when the earthquake happened? I have no idea. I don’t remember the news even really showing up on my radar a year ago.

But now we think about Haiti all the time. Last March, when the call for help went out, my wife went with an LC-MS World Relief medical team and saw first hand what had happened and what people were going through. Although she touched a lot of lives, it turns out that others touched her life even more. Those who survived, those who had to stay there after she came home, those who email us, and those whose faces we can’t forget, touch our lives each day.

There are lots of articles out there to read about Haiti a year later, from LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Relevant magazine, and so many others. In some ways, not much has changed. Some have found homes. Many receive care. Some are back in school. A few have real hope. Hopefully our hearts have changed. We are planning on having our friend Lophane here in February to speak to us about his life, his work and his hopes for Haiti. I think it’s amazing just to be able to write that we have friends in Haiti, a place I hardly ever took notice of before.

Posted in Grace, Ministry

30 seconds

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Up at 4:45 am, I showered, dressed, ate and was out the door by 5:20. A fine mist in the dark morning air necessitated a swipe of the wiper blades every few minutes. There were no other cars to wait for, follow or pass until I merged onto the interstate, headed towards Jacksonville. Even then, the cars and trucks were few and far between.

The hospital had scheduled her surgery for 7:30, and her prep was to begin at 7, so I was right on schedule to have a little time with her and her family before they took her from the room. There were virtually no radio stations working well. Finally I found an AM sports station that lasted for about half and hour, highlighting the rest of the football game I couldn’t stay awake for the night before. The miles passed quickly, and before I knew it, the exit for the hospital approached.

When I got out of the car in the parking lot, I immediately felt how much colder it was than back home. I had called ahead to find out when the front door would be open. “5 am.” “Thanks, that’s plenty early!” There were many cars in the parking lot and more people than I expected when I walked in about 6:20.

Stepping out onto the fourth floor of Mayo hospital, I had to double check the signs to find room 422. They saw me coming from down the hall, and knew exactly who I was looking for, because she was looking for me. They were taking her for prep at 6:30 and she grabbed my hand and said, “Quick, pray with me, I’m so glad someone came.” When we opened our eyes, they were waiting to transport her. She asked one man, “Are you awake?” He replied, “I just rolled out of bed.” Lots of laughter.

And then she was gone, gone to hopefully have a brain tumor removed. All that way for about 30 seconds with her and the Lord. What a privilege and an honor.

Posted in Grace, Ministry

Visionless?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

David Hayward recently wrote a few blog posts about being visionless. The way I read this, rather than being a church that is driven towards goals by mission and vision statements, a church could instead just be the people of God who freely shared forgiveness, compassion, mercy and the gospel.

One of the reasons his posts struck in my mind is because I’ve never been good at “vision casting.” I don’t feel like I’ve ever been able to express a compelling vision around which the church can focus its ministry. However, I am very good at identifying when the church is being the church, when it is reaching both in and out, ministering to people in an amazing variety of ways.

For me, the most amazing part of this is that I had little to do with it. Recently, I made myself a list of the outreach ministries our congregation was involved in, ranging from stocking the shelves of a local food pantry to leading after school Bible clubs to distributing quilts and prayer shawls. I had very little to do with starting these ministries (which number somewhere abound a dozen), and I’m not a part of their ongoing work. This all comes from the hearts and souls of an amazing collection of people.

The only thing I can remember communicating was that if someone had an idea for ministry, they had to make it happen. If it wasn’t heretical or illegal, they pretty much had my blessing and support. Slowly but surely, they took me up on the offer. And maybe that’s what my vision was all along.

Posted in Ministry

Stick this in your Bible

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I keep this chart in my Bible to help me keep track of the kings and prophets and timeline of the Old Testament. There are many charts like this out there, but I’ve found this the easiest to use, plus it indicates whether a king was good or bad during his reign. (I can’t take credit for this chart and can’t remember where I found it, but to whoever put it together: great job!)

Posted in Ministry

Study bible

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A good basic resource to help you understand God’s Word is a study bible. The one I’m currently using is the Lutheran Study Bible from Concordia Publishing House. There are other worthy study bibles out there to consider, especially if you want a translation other than the English Standard Version.

A study bible has a few pages at the beginning of each book explaining who wrote that book, when, and what the historical context is. It will sum up some of the main themes of the book, and give you a heads up for what to look for as you are reading. It often provides a basic outline of the book, too.

When you open to a book of the bible and begin reading, a study bible will contain notes for each verse, usually at the bottom of each page. These notes will give information about names, places, words and cultural references in each verse. You’ll be directed to other verses that address similar events or ideas. You may also find a summary of a passage, an application, devotional thought or a prayer.

If you didn’t know, for example, that the prophet Haggai was around in the post-exilic temple reconstruction period of Israel’s history, much of the book will be puzzling. But once you have that info, the book makes a lot more sense. Or, if you don’t know who a Pharisee is, or where Capernaum is, or what crucifixion is, just glance down at the bottom of the page, and you’ll find that information.

Now while the biblical text is inspired, or “God-breathed,” remember that the study Bible notes are not. They are written by human authors, so you will want to pay attention to the publisher or editors of a study bible. For example, you may not find much about infant baptism in some study bibles from reformed publishers, but you definitely will in the Lutheran Study Bible.

From time to time I have to remind people “he who lives by the study bible, dies by the study bible.” IOW, don’t quote study notes as gospel. While they may be scholarly, they may also contain some opinion.

You’ll also find a plethora of maps, charts, reading plans, articles and indexes in a study bible. It can be overwhelming sometimes. But don’t be intimidated. Just use what you need, and see what a blessing this resource can be.