Rising to the Next Level

Recently I have had a number of experiences of talking with people who are Christians, and have been so for many years, but they have not yet had the personal experience with God that they see in others in our congregation—and they hunger for it.

Many of them have grown up in, or been a part of solid Christian denominations, but those who do not encourage or teach a personal relationship with God. So they live their lives praying to God, but he is always the God who is “out there”—as if they’re standing at the door talking to him through the screen door, or through a window—with God on the outside and they on the inside of this house called life.

But now they want more. They know people who seem to have an inside track with God. These other persons have a close personal relationship that they themselves have never experienced—and they want to experience it too.

Too often in the past we have told these persons they need to “get saved”, which is really an insult because they have been serving God to the best of their ability for many years. After much thought and prayer I now approach this situation in a different way. In a situation like this I talk to them about moving up to a whole new level in their relationship with God. I try to never denigrate the relationship they already have. I recognize them as Christians and I truly believe if they died, they would go to heaven. We are saved through faith in Christ, not by some particular method of believing or ritual (such as kneeling at an altar) no matter how meaningful that ritual is to us. The secret of salvation is in our faith in Jesus Christ, not in a particular method or denominational polity.

If you don’t know Christ in a personal way, you’re missing something very special. He wants to be your best friend and when he becomes so, it won’t hurt your relationship with your current best friend. (At least not usually—there are exceptions when the current best friend resents the change in you and tries to turn you away from Christ.) When that happens you have to make a choice and I hope you choose Jesus. He will make all of your good relationships better, he can sometimes redeem relationships that are bad, and He will help you move up to an entirely new level of your Christian walk.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Visiting Alzheimer Patients

I recently visited with a parishioner who has Alzheimer’s Disease. It was a pleasant experience and the parishioner seemed to appreciate and enjoy the visit and my prayer before I left. It occurred to me that perhaps my experience with my mother, who had Alzheimer’s for years before she died, probably gave me some experience that would be helpful to others.

Often when we visit friends or family members with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, we feel ill at ease because the patient is often anxious and uncomfortable. Then, we often think it would be better if we hadn’t come at all. Let me assure you, that is not true. It is good that you went to visit, and it was probably helpful to the patient to have some diversion to their life, even if they don’t remember it moments after you leave.

Here are some suggestions that may be helpful to you:

• Just love them. How long they remember you isn’t as important as bringing a bright spot to their day.
• Treasure the moments. Learn to treasure the moments, the smiles, the conversation—even if it is sometimes disjointed and doesn’t always make sense. It is good for them to chat with you. Your presence is important to them.
• Don’t ask questions. Never ask them to clarify or explain. They can’t, and the anxiety will come quickly.

I noticed early on in Mom’s Alzheimer time of life that if I asked her questions that she couldn’t answer, even the least thing, she would become anxious and ill at ease—perhaps embarrassed because she didn’t know the answer. (Although, I’m not sure if she was embarrassed, because she couldn’t tell me.)

I soon learned to never ask questions, but to always tell her things. First, I would tell her who I was: “I’m your son, Rick. I wanted to stop by and see you today. How are you?” (That’s one question I could always ask Mom. It may not be true of all Alzheimer patients.) Tell them about the weather. Tell them about your children, grandchildren, friends, the news, anything that may be of interest. But always tell it as if you wouldn’t expect the patient to know any of it, so he/she doesn’t have to do mental calculations, which might make them feel anxious.

The main thing is to visit. Even though they won’t remember, the moments are precious “in the moment.”

In the latter days of his life, former president Ronald Reagan was afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease. His son was faithful to visit him, and Reagan greeted his visits eagerly, even though he then only knew him as, “the man who hugs me.”

Just be the one who hugs them.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

(This article was first published in First Touch, online newsletter for First Church of God, St Joseph, Michigan.)

The Slaughter of the Innocents

President Obama didn’t waste any time overturning President Bush’s limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. In my opinion it was a very sad day in our nation’s history. He who talked so much about bringing people together not only “dissed” millions of people who sincerely believe such research is wrong because it destroys people, he also endorsed as "good" science something that has not proven to be good science. Embryonic stem cell research has not been nearly as effective as adult stem research, which does not have any bad ethical implications. Why then, do people continue to insist on something as being “good science” when the preponderance of scientific evidence supports something else entirely? It may be politically correct, but it is definitely not good science.

There is a God and he is fully involved in the human experience. When we do what is right he helps us to accomplish it. When we do what is wrong he not only doesn’t help, he may even hinder our efforts. Do you think maybe he is trying to tell us something about embryonic stem cell research? Could it be when he created us he built into our DNA the possibilities of adult stem cells being used in such powerful ways and now that human understanding has developed to the point we can use such research effectively he is ready to open up to us great new areas of scientific knowledge in the area of human health?

On the other hand, because he who even sees the sparrow fall, agonizes over the death of even an infinitely small and unborn human being, perhaps even before creation he looked into the future and saw that “the heart is deceitful and exceedingly wicked” perhaps therefore, he created us so that it would be impossible for us to effectively used embryonic stem cells that require the destruction of his beloved children? Perhaps it will never be successful and therefore we will spend billions on worthless, pseudo science that is totally out of touch with reality.

President Obama also over-turned President Bush’s executive order that ended taxpayer support of abortions in the world outside our nation. I pray for President Obama and I hope you do as well. One of the things I pray for is that God will impress on him the fact that he has been elected to be president of all the people, even those who are not yet born. And, I pray God will help him make godly decision that will bless our nation.

Our home and congregation are just a few miles from the famed Catholic University of Notre Dame. The president and leaders of the university have asked President Obama to be a speaker at this year’s Spring graduation exercises. They also plan to give him an honorary degree. However, many students, faculty and staff of the university, as well as laity, cardinals and priests throughout the church are speaking up with the conviction that his strong pro-abortion stance is totally out of sync with the theology and ethics of the Catholic Church. (Notice I said “pro-abortion”, not “pro-choice”—the babies have no choice at all.)

You’ve probably heard about this on the news, although we probably hear more because we’re so close. Please pray for the university to make the right decision and reject the concept of ignoring sin just because it is politically correct.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Holy Week Musings

As we move through what we call Holy Week, we may ask ourselves, why would we call this “Holy Week”? It was the week during which the holy Son of God was crucified by unspeakable evil on a cruel cross in the most horrific crime ever committed in the life of our planet. Shouldn’t we call it “Evil Week”?

No we shouldn’t. Because this is the week that goodness, or holiness triumphed over evil. It was a week of cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil—and righteousness prevailed totally and completely. Evil has forever been condemned to second place in the power forces of world domination.

One purpose of Holy Week is to help us remember that good did triumph over evil in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and because of that we do two things. First, those of us who have accepted Christ’s death on the cross by faith experience the joy of new life personally and communally, as we worship and work individually, and together with our fellow Christians, locally and around the world, to help Him make the world better.

That’s actually the second thing we do—we make the world better. This is found in John 10:10(NIV) where Jesus said, “The thief came only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” As people of God we cooperate with Jesus in what he came to do. His work on the cross was a complete work, but the results are seen incrementally as lives are transformed by the power of the Gospel of Christ working in individual hearts. This personal transformation, multiplied over and over again brings an amazing transformation to society that is the Divine plan.

So during Holy Week we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, proof of the greatest victory the world has ever known—a victory that makes possible ever more victories on top of victories. This wonderful victorious life of triumph over evil will continue and increase as long as this world exists and then will continue in heaven for eternity.

So this Holy Week and every resurrection Sunday of our lives we celebrate the victory of good over evil in the person Jesus Christ and in every person who lives a life redeemed by him and surrendered to the power of his Spirit living in us.

“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!”

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Letter to a Prisoner. .

Previously published Saturday, March 7, 2009, in the
Herald-Palladium newspaper column: Insights, at:
http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2009/03/07/features/295090.txt

Dear Friend,

I compliment you on the interesting letter you wrote and your honesty about your life situation. All of us make mistakes, so you are not alone. I can’t imagine how difficult prison must be, but I rejoice in your desire to improve.

The fact you made mistakes and have sin in your life doesn’t mean you are not acceptable to God. It means you need God’s help. And God wants so much to help that he sent his son Jesus, to die for us. You said you’re trying to improve your life. I believe the best way to improve our situation is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then experience God’s love as His beloved children!

Two Bible versed in John’s Gospel (3:16-17) make this clear. These verses show God loves us and Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save. We all have things in our lives that deserve condemnation, but that is not what Jesus is about. He is about forgiveness. He came to save the world, but he also came to save you. Every one of us could read these verses like this:
16"For God so loved me that he gave his one and only Son, that if I believe in him I will not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn me, but to save me through him.”

You wrote you feel “almost lost”. Really, all of us are lost when we don’t know Christ as Savior. The only solution is this spiritual birth, in which every other Christian on earth becomes your brother or sister in Christ. You find both yourself and a new family.

This spiritual birth comes when we admit our sin to God, are sorry for that sin and ask God to forgive us. In Romans (3:22-24), the Bible says:
"22God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 24But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins." (Contemporary English Version)

You asked about joining a church. I believe there is only one church—God’s church. Local churches and church groups have many different names, but if they teach salvation by faith in Christ, they are part of God’s one true church. We all become members in this universal church by that spiritual birth called faith in Jesus Christ. Then you find a local church in which to worship and serve.

Jesus tells us in John 3:3 “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Here is a prayer you can pray to be sure you have experienced this spiritual birth. God is with you and he understands the language of the heart, so when you pray in sincere faith, He will hear. If you are ready to make this decision, pray this prayer (either silently or aloud):

Heavenly Father, I am a sinner. I have done much wrong, and am truly sorry. I want to reject sin and be saved by faith in your son Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, I believe it is only by faith in you I can be saved. You are God’s Son and Savior of the world. Please come into my heart and cleanse me of all sin. I accept you as my Savior and with your help I’ll do my best to serve you all my remaining life. Amen.

If you prayed sincerely and believe Christ is not only Savior of the world, but your personal Savior, you are born spiritually as a child of God and are a member of his universal church. Welcome! Find another Christian and tell them you’re in the family too.

Or, find someone who is not yet a Christian and invite them into the family!

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

From Where Do Church Groups Come?

Well, somebody starts them. Often not intentionally. They may begin because of doctrinal differences with a person’s current church. John Winebrenner was a Dutch Reformed minister who began having evangelistic revivals to get people saved. When he wouldn’t stop, he was removed from the Dutch Reformed Church and started the Churches of God of North America. About a hundred years later, Daniel Warner, one of their ministers, began to preach about sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit and he was removed from that church and thus began our group who call themselves the Church of God, or the Church of God Reformation Movement. Also know as the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) to differentiate us from dozens of other groups who also use this biblical name.

Or they may be cultural in nature. A particular church group may have doctrines that are very similar to other groups, but the people don’t fit in with those other groups because their culture is so different they just can’t connect.

And there is the possibility that God starts them because he wants to reveal himself through them in a particular way. Sometimes the doctrinal differences aren’t great enough to justify two different groups being separate, but their emphasis in ministry is very different. Could it be that God wants both so he can express himself fully in both those ways? Could it be different church groups are gifted by God in different ways—anointed by God to lead the whole body of Christ in particular ministries? Let me give some examples.

The Mennonite, Amish and Brethren Churches tend to be greatly gifted at “helps” and “service” ministries. They’re good at a lot of things. Strong Bible teachers, great worshippers, etc., but they are known for their ability to help people when they are in need. They have also taught other church groups how to do those things better. Maybe they have the gift of helps.

The Pentecostal movement has not taken hold in all of our churches because many of us just do not accept the concept of a “heavenly language” or “unknown tongue”, but the charismatic worship of the Pentecostals has blessed almost all of Christianity because they have taught us how to worship God more fervently and passionately. Perhaps they are particularly anointed for worship and for teaching us all how to worship God with all our hearts.

The Baptists, such as Rick Warren and many others in many different Baptist groups are greatly gifted at evangelism and have taught the entire body of Christ how to be more effective evangelists. Perhaps they have the gift of evangelism.

There are many more examples, but the point is, just because church groups differ in some ways, doesn’t mean they aren’t our brothers and sisters in the Lord. There is really only one Christian Church and whether we call it the Church of God, Christian Church, Church of Christ, Assembly of God, etc., etc., etc., doesn’t matter. What matters is our relationship with Christ and our correct teaching on those basic Christian doctrines on which we all agree.

I’m Rick Blumenberg,
And that’s My View from Tanner Creek.

Celebrating the "Most-Christian" Era . . .

I don’t know if he was quoting someone else or if it was his own creation, but the speaker said “There are only two ministry experiences in this post-Christendom era: 1. slow death 2. deep change.”

From my experience, I’m convinced the two ministry experiences have always been slow death or deep change. It was true when Jesus walked the earth in human flesh as a God-man and it is still true today as he walks the earth in human flesh as the eternal transformer of mankind. The worst thing that can happen to any Christian at any stage of development is to think we have finished with change. When we stop changing we lose the vitality of our relationship with Christ because he never stops changing us as long as the relationship is real and growing. When we stop being changed by our relationship with him we can be sure he has ceased to be Lord and Master, otherwise he always transforms us into his likeness. When we are totally surrendered to Christ and living in the power of his Spirit, we are “complete in him” (Colossians 2:10) but Christ will continue to transform us more and more into his image as long as we live in this world if we live in a state of full surrender.

What troubled me most, was the implication that we live in a post-Christian era. Now, notice he did not say “post-Christian” but “post-Christendom”. There is a huge difference and I’m sure the phrase was intentional. Perhaps he used that phrase because he, like myself, believes the best of the Christian era is not past but future, even though, as we all know, it will continue to be different in the future than it has been in the past.

I just “Googled” “Post-Christian” at fifty hits per page and got twelve pages or 600 hits. As you can imagine, I didn’t read them all, but skimming through the info I saw some heralding the demise of Christianity—some with glee and some with sorrow. Some dealt with how to witness for Christ in a Post-Christian world. I’m sure all have good thoughts, but I won’t accept the idea of a Post-Christian world until Christ returns. Until then, he will continue to work in the hearts and lives of those who allow him to work, he will continue to be victorious, and not only the individual people, but the world will continue to become more Christ-like.

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Surely we don’t believe that was a prayer he doesn’t expect to answer in the affirmative? Surely it is not that he wants God’s kingdom to come in this world, but isn’t able to accomplish it?

As for me, I believe we are in the “Most Christian” era the world has ever seen. Perhaps this time is what Christ saw in his mind when said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” —John 14:12 (NLT)

I'm Rick Blumenberg,
And that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Praying from Besieged Cities

The Psalmist wrote these words thousands of years ago but they are just as fitting today when we go through difficult times.

He wrote “Praise be to the Lord for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city. In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’ yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.” (Psalm 31:21-22)

Most of us have found ourselves in besieged cities (virtually if not literally) at times, and often we felt like we were cut off from God’s sight. We didn’t feel His Presence and were sure at the time that He was not listening. But when we pray about it (specifically talk to God about our situation and ask for His help rather than just worrying and pretending that was prayer) God is always there and he always answers. Every one of us can say with the psalmist, “…you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.” We’ve all had those times when God intervened in our times of need, or when we looked back and saw God had been there all the time when we felt so alone.

It is really important, if we want answers to prayer, to pray specifically to God for what we see as our need, then trust God to do what is best for us, whether it is what we ask for or not. The “besieged cities” we find ourselves in may be psychological, emotional, financial, occupational, or dozens of other types of struggles, but in all of them, God is our helper if we can just learn to trust him to do what is best.

I tend to believe our faith grows more in the besieged cities of our lives than anywhere else. Those times when we don’t feel God’s Presence, but go on doing the best we can, or when we fail, but instead of quitting we pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and try again, refusing to quit the faith, I believe God is hugely blessed, just as you and I are when we see our children struggle through to success from a difficult place.

I know it is hard to do, but I think we need to learn to thank God for the times in our lives when we’ve had to pray from inside those “besieged cities”.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

Rejecting Racism with Ordinary Living

A tribute from our daughter, Twyla

This is a note I received from our daughter Twyla, on Father’s Day, 2006. It was so well written and expressed such a valuable concept I wanted to include it in the blog, but hesitated because I didn’t want to seem to boast about something where I know I’m still far from perfect. On the other hand, I also know that the values of which she spoke were at least partly given to me by parents who lived out their values on a daily basis so their children could absorb them into their lives. So following is Twyla’s tribute to the lessons Carol and I taught in our home and then my memories of lessons I learned in my father’s house.

Happy Father’s Day!

Dad, you gave me an amazing gift that I’ve always appreciated, but its true value was recently realized. My Multi-cultural class required an in-depth evaluation of our attitudes on race and ethnicity. As we dug into our true feelings, most classmates brought out that they have to reconcile within themselves what they know is wrong. I could not relate to this in any way. To the core of my being, conscious or subconscious, I do no believe that my ethnicity makes me better than another; I cannot relate to racist attitudes.

What I realized is that no one but me had grown up in a home that actively rejected racist attitudes. Active because of the actions you did in our home; like the recording of Dr King’s speech, having people of all ethnicities in our home, treating all ethnic slurs as obscene words, treating every person respectfully.

Permanently stamped in my memory is the time in Elkhart when you made everyone remove the word “’black’ as sin” from the song. [I stopped the singing and asked the people in church to change the word in the hymnal from “black” to “bad”, which is what the author really meant.] This is one of many examples. It stands out because it taught me that publicly rejecting racism is as important as personal practices. In every encounter publicly and privately, you treat all people with dignity and respect; more significantly, you value their insight and knowledge. Whether your actions were in rejection of what you observed growing up or management of your own inner fight, you modeled equality. These beliefs permeated every part of how we lived; you walk the life of rejecting racism. What a profound impact this had on your children.

I recently realized this gift has contributed significantly to my success in life. In every environment I enter, I am immediately accepted. What I understand is that it’s not just that I’m accepted, it’s that I meet people without pre-judgment. By accepting others without hesitation, a feeling of acceptance occurs for everyone. I attribute this directly to you and the values instilled in our family and all your circles of influence. Your gift allows me consciously and subconsciously to value all people.

I don’t believe there are many better gifts a parent can give their child. It is invaluable. Thank you.

I love you, Twyla.

Thinking of my own heritage of rejecting racism.

Twyla’s beautiful note reminds me of an incident in our family life when I was growing up. We lived in Southeast Missouri in a rural community known as Penhook, just south of the “Ten Mile Pond”. Probably a majority of our neighbors were black people and during the fifties, racism was really the norm. It was not an overt racism usually, but black people and white people just did not interact very much. We pretty much lived separate lives even though in the same community.

Mom and Dad had grown up in this area of the world, and no doubt had some racist attitudes, but they both had a basic respect for people of all colors and required that their children treat all people with respect, even as they did. We also had friends among the African Americans in our community, even though we seldom interacted socially.

One cool rainy day our family was at home in the house because we were unable to work on the farm, when there came a knock on the door. I can’t remember who answered the door, but they saw a black couple, some of our neighbors, who were walking by and were caught in the rain storm and they ran up on our porch for shelter, knocking to ask if it would be ok if they stayed there until the rain stopped.

Mom and Dad both said they were welcome, but insisted they come into the living room where it would be more comfortable. They resisted at first, but soon realized they were really welcome, so they came in. We spent a delightful hour and a half visiting with neighbors of a different color and culture and we all got to know each other much better. But it was more than just a friendly visit. It was a witness to an entire community that we wanted to be their friends and valued them as neighbors.

It was also a witness to my brothers and sisters and I, that people were people, and all were of value and worth. Mom and Dad could have spent years telling us racism was bad, but that time spent on a rainy day in Southeast Missouri was ingrained in our souls for eternity. I was a young teenager at the time and didn’t realize the full impact that day would have on my life, but now I’m reminded of it more than fifty years later by a note from my daughter.

That one visit didn’t make us perfect. I know I (and probably all of us) continued to battle the racist ideas we lived with every day, but it was a living illustration of common neighborliness that made us all better people because it broadened our understanding of each other. It also helped us to see that racism was not the norm in everyone’s lives. We knew many other people, black and white, in our community who appreciated people of all cultures and colors and wanted all to be friends. I’m sure Southeast Missouri isn’t perfect yet either, but since that time the races have begun to learn together in school and work together much more than we did then.

So the experiences Twyla had growing up in our home had begun at least one generation earlier when her grandparents lived out their values and passed them on to their children. Thanks Mom and Dad. You taught us well and the lessons continue into the following generations.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

The Law of Love Commodities

The normal law of commodities is called supply and demand. Most supplies are limited, which doesn’t really matter if there is no demand. In such case, because there is little or no demand, the value of a particular commodity will be very low. However, if the supply is limited and the demand is high, then the value of the commodity under consideration goes up and can even become so expensive as to be unavailable to the average person.

However the law of love commodities is vastly different, because love is a commodity of unlimited value regardless of the size of the supply. Let me give an imaginary example.

Suppose a man is walking down the street with a gallon of unconditional love. As he walks he happens upon two other gentlemen who are carrying empty jugs. Because he loves them unconditionally and he knows the value of unconditional love, the first man shares his love with the other two, giving each half of the love in his jug. The two men who had been carrying empty jugs go on their way rejoicing because they each have a jug that is half full of love.

Now, according to the normal law of supply and demand, the first man should be going on his way with an empty jug. However, the law of love commodities is different. When you give love away, the love you have is not diminished, but multiplied and the man with the jug full of love goes on his way with a jug that is still full and overflowing.

Now of the two men who were blessed by the half jug of love, one had an eternal blessing but the other’s blessing was only temporary because he did not know or practice the law of love commodities.

One of the men, when he happened upon a person with an empty jug, shared happily what he had, and discovered, to his amazement, that when he gave love away, his own was multiplied and he went on his way with a jug overflowing with love and because he was a quick learner, the love in his jug never ran out even though he gave it away over and over and over again.

Sadly, the other man was not so generous with others and was not wise enough to know that his lack of generosity was actually penalizing his own soul. When he met a man who was downcast from carrying an empty jug that had no love in it at all, he merely hugged his own jug to him the more tightly to be sure the man did not try to steal that which was so valuable to him. The sad thing was that each time this happened both persons left their meeting more impoverished than when they met— the man with a half jug of love was the most impoverished of all because the love he had hoarded soon evaporated and he was left, once again, with an empty jug.

Love is one commodity that never diminishes when you give it away, but evaporates quickly when hoarded.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

New Book: Beginning the Journey

Beginning the Journey: First Steps in Your Walk with God, by Rick Blumenberg and Brenda Shepard, is my latest venture into the world of publishing. This one is an “In House” publication of First Church of God in St. Joseph, Michigan, where I serve as Associate Pastor for Missions, Life Group, and Prayer Ministries. Based on my previous book Let’s Get Down to Basics: An Introduction to Christian Living, it has been greatly improved by my co-author and friend, Brenda Shepard. Brenda wrote one of the chapters entirely, re-worked and edited all of them and wrote Appendix A and B to help the readers with Bible study.

“Journey” is designed as a workbook instead of a regular book with too small type, (like the first one). The book was inspired by Sandy Mason, our Women’s Ministries Director, who wanted something for new Christians and those new to the Church of God. Brenda first taught the class to an all women group, but it would work just as well for men or for a mixed group. Teresa LaPlante is our Director of Communications at First Church and she did a great job with the design and published it for us with our own equipment. Cristi Wright did proof-reading and offered invaluable editing insights.

The first six chapters deal with disciplines for living the Christian life. These chapters include,
1) Beginning the Journey
2) The Bible: Light for the Journey
3) Prayer: Talking with God
4) Quiet Time: Rest for the Journey
5) Fellowship: Companions on the Journey
6) Stewardship: Managing God’s Resources
7) Exploring Spiritual Gifts
8) Overcoming Temptation
9) Discovering God’s Will
10) Inviting Others on the Journey.

Appendix A: Understanding the Bible and Appendix B: Bible Study Guides are extremely helpful, especially to the new Believer who wants to establish good Bible study habits.

We live in an amazing time when print publishing is really “on demand” and we can do as few copies as we want. Even easier is electronic publishing, such as this blog, where we can write it and have it out to the public in a matter of minutes! While there is a lot of junk and garbage on the World Wide Web, it is also being used widely to give access to valuable information and to share the good news of the Gospel.

While I’m thanking people I should say thanks to Associate Pastor for High School Ministries, Randy Bennett. It is only with his help that this blog is up and running.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

Destruction of Warner Auditorium

A new addition to the Blogosphere is one called CHOGOLOGY, http://chogology.blogspot.com/ with Lloyd Moritz and David Owens as facilitators. They began with a discussion about events at Anderson, Indiana, during NAC (North American Convention, or Not Anderson Campmeeting). Since both of them seemed to applaud the vote to demolish Warner Auditorium and only about two others beside myself voted against the proposal, I thought I would add a comment to their website and to the discussion. Here is what I wrote.


Lloyd and David, I was one of about three who voted against the destruction of Warner Auditorium in the recent General Assembly. There may have been more than three, but that is all I heard. Perhaps I am guilty of what you called “Midwestern provincialism”. On the other hand, perhaps the three of us were right. The powerful voice of the majority rules (and I think it usually should) but they are not always right. I wish I felt more confident that this was a good decision.

I was not opposed to selling the property to Anderson University and I am not opposed to it being developed in a way that would give it more year-round usefulness. To be honest, I think I am motivated partly by a love for the Warner Auditorium. A lot of good things have taken place in that building and I find it disconcerting to pay $700,000 to tear it down when for less than two million it could be restored. I know it needs work, including dealing with the asbestos issue and finding more comfortable chairs. By the way, does anyone know what it would cost to replace the building Anderson University will tear down? My guess is it would be a lot more than $3.4 million.

Would it be possible for it to become an all-purpose, year round, assembly hall type facility that could be used for sports events, concerts and other community purposes, as well as for church use? Do we care that if we tear it down we will tear down something of architectural and historical significance to the Church of God, to the city of Anderson, and to the state of Indiana? If Anderson University could recycle the auditorium and thus make it more financially feasible is it possible it could be a credit to the university and to the church?

I also must ask if it is possible many voted to tear it down out of a desire to move the convention out of Anderson? If so, can’t Church of God congregations in the west or other “geographic fringes” as you called it, plan similar conventions so it would be close enough for “geographic fringe” people to attend? Would they? If we destroy “Anderson Campmeeting” will it really improve the Church of God? Will the kingdom of God be advanced more fully by tearing down this building?

David, I find your comparison of Anderson Campmeeting to the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca a bit of a stretch. I have to assume you were trying to be funny, but it didn’t work for me. Sorry.

I also thought it was interesting that when General Director Duncan told the campmeeting crowd about the sale of land to Anderson University he did not mention that Warner Auditorium would be demolished. Even on ChoG.org, http://www.chog.org/ the article about the transfer of property from one board to another didn’t mention the destruction of Warner Auditorium until the fifth paragraph.

In paragraph eight we read “The purpose of Church of God Ministries (based in Anderson, Indiana) is to strengthen and enhance the ministries of local congregations as they work to extend the kingdom of God through the Church of God.”

My question is, can anyone tell me how far the kingdom of God will be extended through the Church of God by the destruction of Warner Auditorium?

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

West Wing Demise a Result of Y2K

Not the Year 2000 computer glitch, but the year 2000 elections, when a conservative Republican defeated one liberal Democrat and replaced another. When George Bush won the election in November, 2000, the TV program West Wing acquired a terminal disease—the absence of reality. Their refusal to face reality was the death knell for their hit television program because it was never relevant after they went on with a show about a liberal Democrat president while the country had moved on to an entirely different experience.

It was irrelevant to conservative Republicans because they saw it for what it was, entertainers who didn’t have the guts to deal with reality, so they continued to create and market a TV show about a past that no longer existed or mattered. The Republicans were probably having too much fun to watch or to care until September 11, came along with a horror few of us could imagine. Conservative Republicans then had a new reality, but West Wing went right on pretending we had a liberal Democrat in the White House doing battle with conservative Republicans trying to bring him down.

It was irrelevant to conservative Democrats, who had been disenfranchised by their own party because they would hardly allow the voices of reason to even speak. Probably for them, after the election of George Bush, for whom many of them voted out of sheer desperation, and the whimpering defeat of their own party’s candidate, the meaningless TV show was probably just too painful for them to watch.

For the liberal Democrats who couldn’t bear to see the direction the country was going West Wing was heaven for an hour on Wednesday night. They could turn on their TV and pretend they hadn’t lost the election. But at the end of the hour even they had to admit it wasn’t real and they would go back to making excuses about why they lost the election. But there wasn’t enough of them to save The West Wing.

Conservative Independents like myself probably tried to watch it because it had been an entertaining look at the insides of government and politics, but with the country moving on and The West Wing TV show stuck in an outdated time warp, it just no longer had any interest.

And it didn’t have to be that way.

If the producers of The West Wing had had any guts, wisdom, or common sense, and if their goal had been creating a hit TV series about something close to reality, they would have finished out the year and into January with an election defeat and the agony of liberal Democrats turning the White House over to conservative Republicans. On the first Wednesday night in February they would have been back with a conservative Republican President and congress. If they could have pulled it off and been believable, their show would still have been relevant, it just wouldn’t (if it was done right) continue to be a tool to support the liberal views of the writers, producers and actors.

I would have loved to have seen them have the guts to bring in Mrs. James Garvel and ask her to be their conservative Republican advisor. If they had done that, giving her the authority to axe anything that wasn’t at least close to reality and if they had listened to her and really created a TV show about where the nation was living, they could still be going full blast today as a hit series.

I don’t know if the same actors, writers and producers would have been good enough to pull it off. I’m not sure they had the ability to pretend to be something they hated, but if they had been any good in their trades, they should have been able to do so, and the show could have run indefinitely. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for Martin Sheen to really show his stuff as an actor, but either no one thought about it, or they rejected it because they wanted to keep on doing what they had always been doing with the result of achieving total irrelevance.

I’m sorry to see it go. I wish it could have been different. But since it wasn’t, I really won’t miss it because I stopped watching in the fall of 2000 when I tried to watch and found it so totally irrelevant I was bored out of my skull.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

Meeting God in the “Woodshed”

Day before yesterday as my wife and I walked on the canal in Indianapolis we approached a fellow talking loudly on a cell phone. I heard some choice words that should not be spoken aloud (or even thought) anywhere, but especially not in a public place.

Sometimes my lack of wisdom is exceeded only by my unlimited stupidity and I do things without considering the full consequences. Unfortunately, that was one of those times. As we walked rapidly past him, I said, “Hey, watch your language.”

I don’t know what I thought that would accomplish, but it certainly wasn’t successful. All I did was add to the foul language in the world, acquire some new names for myself and have my ancestry questioned rather loudly. I realize now I also could easily have gained some nasty bruises if he had decided to do what he was obviously thinking.

I did not recognize my own self-righteous behavior for what it was until several hours later. About four o’clock the next morning I woke early and couldn’t get back to sleep, so, as is my custom, if I can’t sleep, I usually pray. Eventually I came to the time in my prayers when I pray for the lost. At that time I thought of the “cursing man” (So called because we weren’t properly introduced.) but by then I was listening to God instead of being stupid, and the Lord showed me that my self-righteous attitude had interfered with what he had wanted me to do, and was thus a greater sin than that man’s inappropriate language.

I was a child of God and professed to be a “Christ-one” or a Christian, but actually, I had not behaved at all like Christ. The Bible tells us when Jesus saw someone like that he had compassion for them because he saw they were lost, like sheep without a shepherd.” By contrast, when I heard him, I felt contempt because he cared so little for those around him.

I had to spend the next few minutes confessing my sin and asking God to change my self-righteous attitude. I also asked the Lord to help me, the next time I heard something like that, to feel compassion at the moment, rather than several hours later, after I saw my sin in the light of his righteousness. Finally, I prayed for that man and all others like him— asking God to save them and draw them to himself so they could experience his love and become the people their heavenly Father created them to be.

Then I also prayed for myself and all other misguided Christians, who try to do the Holy Spirit’s work of bringing conviction by using the devils tactic of condemnation. It doesn’t work. It never has worked and never will. We cannot accomplish the purposes of God by using the methods of Satan, because God’s methods are a part of his ministry. When we use Satan’s methods we can only do Satan’s work. If we want to do God’s work, we must use God’s methods. In a situation like this, Satan’s method is condemnation and God’s method is unconditional love. I know that! But I don’t always live what I know.

The good that came out of that experience was at least two fold and I hope three. First, by God’s grace, I didn’t get beaten to a pulp and cause that poor lost soul to wind up in prison for attacking a stupid old man. Secondly, probably for the rest of my life, when I pray for the lost, I will remember that man and others like him and, with compassion for their lostness, pray for their salvation. Because, by the grace of God I now love him. And it truly is by God’s grace. Because I dislike vile language, I have never felt unconditional love for those who use it in public. I have, in fact, always felt contempt. I have been totally unaware of my garbage attitude and have always (falsely, I now realize) felt morally superior. The final good I hope will come out of this experience is that God will help me feel compassion for people like that when I hear them, rather than several hours later after he has taken me to the woodshed.

You and I both know it did absolutely no good for me to say what I said. It had the opposite effect of what I thought I wanted, which was to reduce the world of language pollution. If I had used the wisdom and grace of God to just pray silently for him as I passed by, I would not have caused him to sin by inspiring more vile language, I would not have risked the safety of myself and my wife, and I might have been an instrument used of God, in some amazing way that only He fully understands, to bless someone instead of curse them.

I am fully aware, but often forget, that condemnation is a curse far worse than vile language.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

The New Terrorists . . .

Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are familiar names. They stir deep emotions as we envision the twin towers of the World Trade Center burning like candles and then disappearing into heaps of rubble. If we aren’t very careful hate begins to ooze into our subconscious and we become terrorists—who hate so much we want to hurt, injure and kill people we don’t even know. Hate becomes the over-riding emotion when we think of such men with their twisted logic about how to make the world a better place.

So how should we respond to terrorists and terrorism? How should we react to such despicable acts of violence?

Hate is a powerful emotion. It twists our thinking and distorts our values until red looks green and green looks red. With the distortion comes bad decisions. That is a danger to you and me just as much as it is to Hussein and Bin Laden. If, because they have done despicable things we allow hate to rule our emotions, we too, can easily cross the line to become terrorists. Then hate wins.

On the other hand, we can reject hate and base our lives on love, which is also an emotion, and we must be careful or it too can be distorted to the point of irrelevance. Every parent knows how difficult it is to know when love requires discipline and correction, and when it requires sympathy and mercy. If it were easy to know the difference, we might all be perfect parents, but we’re not.

So what do we do about terrorism and terrorists? Do we give in to hate and let it eat us alive like corrosion on steel— making us worthless for any productive purpose? Or do we try to find a better way?

I’m reminded of another terrorists from the east. He was originally know as Saul, of Tarsus and was ruled by hatred for those who disrupted his way of life. Later he wrote about a “more perfect way” and went on to describe it more fully in his second letter to followers in Corinth. He was then known as Paul and was loved by those who formerly had feared him.

I still think that is the best way to deal with terrorism. The question is, how can we change the heart of a Saddam Hussein or an Osama Bin Laden? I could say, “I don’t want to change their hearts, I want to cut them out!” but if so, I may have crossed the line to become a terrorist— who wants to kill those who disagree with me instead of listening, seeking to understand their views, and giving genuine consideration to the possibility that they could be right. When we disagree with someone we must be willing to consider they could be right in some way or we are not really listening.

So what do I suggest? Because the United States of America went to war against Iraq many people died. It may have been necessary, but war is never a good answer. (This question will be debated for years to come and may never be fully answered). We do know more hate has been produced and the cycle of bitterness, revenge and retaliation continue into another generation.

On the other hand, I would not want to live in a community without a police force, nor would I want to live in a world without armies. Sometimes evil must be restrained before good can triumph. I pray President Bush and other political leaders will make wise decisions for the good of everyone on earth. I pray the Iraqi people will be able to become a functioning democracy where good people can flourish, criminals can be restrained and the enemies of political and religious freedom can be defeated.

But what can you and I do as ordinary citizens? We can pray. That sounds weak and insipid to those who don’t know the power of prayer, but many of us know prayer to the God of all creation, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is powerful beyond comprehension. It changed Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle and it can also change all the terrorists of the world. Jesus destroys his enemies by converting them into beloved brothers and sisters. He did it with you and me and he can do it with all of them. His way of love strikes terror to the hearts of those who love to hate.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
And that's my view from Tanner Creek.

Living Together in Peace . . .

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ”

Wait a minute! There’s something missing.

The question is— should that which is missing be included or should it not? That is one of the debates going on in our nation today. Since sometime in the 1950s, at the urging of President Eisenhower, our pledge of allegiance has included the words one Nation, “under God”.

A few years ago my wife and I were in Chicago with family. We rode in a taxi and because the back seat was full, I rode up front with the taxi driver. In our conversation I learned he was from India so I asked his opinion about the India-Pakistani conflict that was going on at that time. He answered that he is married to a Pakistani woman and they would like to see peace come to the area because they each have family about whom they are concerned.

In the Middle East today people are killing each other in the name of religion. Moslems and Jews are finding it impossible to live together peacefully, but here in our nation peace between Moslems and Jews is the norm rather than the exception. In Iraq, the possibility of stability is in real jeopardy because of differences between two Moslem sects.

In Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan a person can be hanged or beheaded for converting from Islam to Christianity, but here in the United States it is legal for Moslems to have Mosques and other facilities to convert Christians to their faith. As I write this Abdul Rahman has been sentenced to be beheaded because he converted to Christianity sixteen years ago while he lived in Germany. Apparently he returned to Afghanistan after the Taliban were expelled because he thought it was safe to do so.

Recent pictures of him on the web and on television show a man with a warm smile in spite of obvious wounds on his face. I pray God will use his deep conviction and Christ-like smile to win millions to the faith all around the world. The blood of the martyrs has always been the best seed for the Gospel. I hope and pray our Brother Abdul Rahman will be allowed to live in Afghanistan in peace and safety and continue to witness to his faith. I pray millions all around the world will be won to the Lord because of his courageous witness.

I also pray for the cleric I saw recently on television who said Abdul should be excecuted. This from a holy man? I pray God will bring conviction to the cleric for this attitude, by the loving spirit of Abdul, so that he too will accept Christ as his Lord and Savior.

It wasn’t too long ago that most of the news from Ireland was about the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Yet right here in America we have Catholics and Protestants who are good friends and who have great respect for each other and even worship together often in community services. Why is it that in our United States people can usually live together peacefully when in other parts of the world they are at war?

One reason is because we hold dear the concept that every person is free to worship God, or not, to worship the God of the Christians, Jews and Moslems, or not.

That freedom should be prized by all of us even when it means adapting our ways to leave room for someone else’s convictions. I personally like “One nation, under God” because I know it is true. We are under God’s dominion whether or not we recognize it. On the other hand, I don’t want someone else telling me how or what I should believe about God, so, as a Christian I must do to others as I would have them do to me. If I insist that everyone else believe as I do then I don’t really follow the teaching of the Christ whose name I bear.

So, in my opinion, if our courts believe the phrase “One nation under God” in our pledge of allegiance violates the freedom of another American, or any other person who adopts our wonderful land, then they have my permission to take out those two words. (As if they needed it.)

It won’t hurt God a bit and it is still a fine pledge to that wonderful flag of our great nation.

And those of us who want to, can still put it back in any time we say it.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
And that's my view, from Tanner Creek.

Living in Paradise…

A few years ago, Carol and I moved to the sand dunes here in Bridgman and as near the lake as we could afford. Some of our most enjoyable times are spent hiking through Weko Beach and the Warren Dunes State Park.

Fall brings an absolutely awesome variety of color, and in the winter we enjoy the broad expanse of the dunes through the barren trees, with an occasional green splash of a hemlock. In the Spring we see wild flowers coming out of the ground to cover the woodlands with a beautiful green carpet interspersed with various blossoms such as Trillium, Dutchmen’s Britches and Columbine. In Summer we limit our hikes in the woods partly because we enjoy the mixture of sunshine and water on the beach, but also to avoid being eaten alive by man-eating mosquitoes.

I’m a native of Southeast Missouri along the Mississippi river. Aside from the theological implications which I don't accept, I grew up thinking that under the skin I was really a reincarnation of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. I still love that river with its raw power at flood stage and its slow, languid power in the hot summer sun. I try to visit it every time I go home.

As a child we lived for a while in Southern California with snow-capped mountains always within view of our home in the warm foothills. On our return to the Midwest I remember visiting the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest of Arizona. Carol and I visited there again a year or so ago.

When we were in Tanzania we lived in the Rift Valley, just east of the Rift Wall near Vilima Vitatu, (literally the “three hills”). These were three small mountains grouped together in such a way that as you approached them from a distance they looked exactly like the Pyramids of Northern Africa. Someday I may tell you of our trip up the mountain road in early spring when a washout on one of the switchbacks seemed perilously close to ending our story before it could be told.

I say all of that to say this: we live in a world of amazing variety and incredible beauty! I've studied some geography and a little geology, and I know many educators can explain every form of terrain by "the Ice Age" or some other geological phenomena. As for me, however, I enjoy thinking about what it must have been like when God created the world. I believe He made every part with loving care. I think when the Bible says that God "saw that it was good" that was probably putting it mildly.

I can imagine when God placed our great lakes here in North America he must have smiled and thought of us—countless generations of people and other living creatures that he knew would enjoy the beauty, variety, and immense wealth of this part of His creation.

I can see Him taking his powerful hands and forming the Andes Mountains in South America, then running his finger down through the continent of Africa and creating the rift valley and the mountains of the wall. I think when he finished one of those big projects he may very well have leaned back and laughed right out loud because He enjoyed it so very much. I can imagine the angels stopped a moment to ooh and aahh every time something new came into existence.

I have traveled more than some and much less than many, but I have seen enough of earth to know that the beauty and variety we see, and the wealth our earth holds must have been put there by God— a person of infinite variety and creativity. He must love us very much to provide such a beautiful home in which to live.

As you can see, I really am convinced God enjoyed creation, but I can’t imagine why he created mosquitoes! Oh yes— bat and bird food. I grouch and complain when they eat me, but my neighbors the bats, say "Thank you Lord for this food."

Rick Blumenberg . . .
And that's my view from Tanner Creek.

Welcome to "My View from Tanner Creek"

Hello to citizens of cyberspace! Let me introduce myself. I live on Lake Street in Bridgman with my wife Carol and we are transplants to our delightful community. We’ve lived here almost thirteen years now and really do feel at home nestled into the sand dunes here on the banks of Tanner Creek. We see Lake Street as Bridgman’s Yellow Brick Road to the local land of Oz, better known as Weko Beach and Warren Dunes State Park. We can take a hike anytime we feel like it, take a swim anytime it’s warm enough and all it costs is to keep up the various payments life brings and remember the taxes we so joyfully pay. (OK, I admit that last part is a bit of an exaggeration.)

This began when I was privileged to write a column for the Bridgman-Baroda Beat (a monthly newspaper) based on my view of life from Tanner Creek. Previous to that, for three and one half years I edited and published a 16 page tabloid sized monthly newspaper called Church of God News. I don’t miss the grind of putting out a monthly newspaper, but I do miss the opportunity to express my opinion on current events and other things I find interesting. I most enjoyed writing the editorials. Let’s face it. I am rather opinionated and there is a limit to how much my wife, children and grandchildren will listen to what I think, so after a bit of begging and pleading, our local Editor / Publisher agreed to let me write a column. My monthly column appeared for about three years until the paper ceased publication. So now, I’m writing a blog.

Sometimes I’ll write about what happens in our home if I can get it past my wife. It will most often be about life in the Bridgman-Baroda area or other parts of Southwest Michigan and many times it will be just what it says at the top— My View from Tanner Creek. I’ll write about current and world events as I see them and I’ll try to convince you to agree with me, but I’ll enjoy your comments just as much even if you don’t as long as your comments are written in good taste.

I may occasionally write about religious issues since I am a minister and presently serve as an Associate Pastor of Life Groups, Missions and Prayer Ministries at First Church of God in St. Joseph, Michigan.

I call this column “My View” so I can write it the way I see it. I usually have an opinion about everything whether I know very much about it or not. Sometimes because you agree you will think I’m a great communicator. When you disagree you’ll think I’m just another hack writer. I hope you continue to read as you have time and inclination. I’ll try not to be narrow-minded or intolerant. I’ll always try to see both sides of every issue but sometimes I may give both sides without telling you how I see it.

The “from Tanner Creek” means it will be a view from the heartland. I’m conservative in my views, although my fellow Missourian Rush Limbaugh would probably consider me a flaming liberal. My view is molded by a Midwestern up-bringing, Southwest Michigan living, and conservative Christian theology. I lean toward Republican party, but I’m a staunch independent. I often vote for Democrats and occasionally for third party candidates who have no chance of winning— if I think they say something that needs to be heard. My vote is to thank them for saying it.

I’ll try to keep My View From Tanner Creek very positive. I won’t often complain and will emphasize positive values that give life meaning, as well as recognize wonderful people that make life worth living.

I hope you’ll read “My View from Tanner Creek” and if you like it, share it with friends and family. I also hope you will write your thoughts and comments.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view from Tanner Creek.