Prairie Hills Covenant Church

This week at staff meeting I had to have Crystal read our scripture for our devotions because the words were blurry. I’ve had to zoom my word documents to 130% so I can make out what I’m typing. I’ve come to the realization that I can’t see. I’m not sure if this loss of sight is caused by my recent pregnancy or my recent birthday. Either way I am impatiently waiting for my eye dr. appt next week. I am more than ready to see life clearly again. In our spiritual lives we go through this same process. We can clearly see God working around us, we have joined Him in his mission. Then suddenly things become less clear. We get caught up in our preconceived ideas about religion, or maybe we forget the work and want to focus on the theological implications of the ministry that we are involved in. We can kind of see God working, but we cannot discern what God would have for us to do. This week we are looking at John 9. The passage is about a man born blind, who receives his sight. We will talk about the man

New Year’s resolution. It is famously known as a set of goals that we get pumped to achieve for the new year, but it would last only for one or two months. I remember the gym I used to attend was usually full with people in January and February. All the gym classes are full, and there are always people using treadmills and elliptical machines. I assume this is because many people put exercise or work out on their New Year’s resolution. Seriously, it is the busiest time in any gyms. But when March comes around, the people stop coming. There are treadmills and elliptical machines available anytime again. The gym becomes an ‘empty’ place again. The sad thing is, we come up with an obvious excuse: we are too busy in our lives. All the hype, excitement, and decision disappear or get postponed with this excuse. This is what was happening when Haggai was prophesying; people were busy with their lives and they did not have time for rebuilding the Second Temple. The Israelites lost their priorities by trying to sati

Christmas Traditions There is so much that miss about my childhood Christmas traditions, that I didn’t even know I liked when I was a child. Growing up in the Swedish Capital of Nebraska, in the Swedish Covenant Church, with a 100% Swedish father, and 100% Swedish grandparents, much of my child hood traditions are rooted deep in Swedish traditions. Our church would put on a St. Lucia celebration on Dec. 13th (or close to it) with buns, coffee, sandwiches, glugg, and a pageant. We would have “Carols and Breakfast” the Sunday before Christmas, where the kids in the church would share their musical talents, and at each place setting you could find a Swedish hay ornament, and before we would leave we would be given an orange or an apple. One of my favorites was our 11 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. We would spread the light from the Christ candle around the sanctuary while singing Silent Night. As we finished the song, we would hear the bell from the Lutheran church begin to ring, as we ushered in

We are blessed on this 2nd Sunday of Advent to have a local pastor, Charlie Dial, from Harvest Church as our guest speaker. Charlie was raised in southern Oklahoma in a pastor’s home. After graduating from High School, he moved to Charleston, SC and lived life a little on the edge. At 18 years old, Charlie received Christ into his life and became the youth pastor at Mount Pleasant Church. God then directed him to Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, OK. He graduated in 1995 with a Biblical Studies degree. During his time at Southwestern, he met his wife, Djuana, and the two of them were married on June 20, 1992. Planting and pastoring Harvest Church is Charlie & Djuana's life. They are passionate about having fun in church and removing the boundaries of religion with the message of living a God-inspired life. They challenge people to fulfill their true purpose, become mature followers of Christ and flourish in every area of life. Charlie & Djuana live on the East side of Sioux Falls

In eight days the majority of the country will be stuffing their faces with turkey, mashed potatoes and delicious desserts. Some of us will watch football, some will prepare for their Black Friday Shopping, and some of us will be enjoying time with family. Whatever our plans are, we all have many, many reasons to be thankful. As 21st Century Christians, one thing that we have to be thankful for is that “the Stone that the Builders rejected has become the capstone.” As we return to the book of Mark one last time before we turn our attention to the Advent season we find ourselves reading one of the 10 parables in Mark; a parable that tells of a generous vineyard owner and his violent, selfish tenants. As we read this section of scripture we may be more apt to skip over it, than engage with it, especially as we think about it in light of Thanksgiving. Except Jesus ends the parable with the words “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this and it is marvelous

The Gospel of Mark doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Jesus’ Disciples. In works of fiction there is often a character that functions as a “foil.” A foil is a character that embodies the opposite character traits of the hero in order to highlight the quality of the hero. While Mark isn’t fiction, the disciples often function as a foil to Jesus. They often embody for us the failures and weaknesses of humanity in contrast to the strength and grace of Jesus. In this week’s reading the disciples, as Jesus moves closer to Jerusalem and his confrontation with the religious and political leaders, begin jockeying for position. They anticipate the culmination of Jesus’ ministry will be revolution, and they want important roles in the new order. But their aspirations are cut short when Jesus reminds the disciples of the upside down nature of his Kingdom.

Mark intentionally placed these two stories next to each other. What do children and a rich man have in common, or what is different about them? Both came to Jesus seeking a blessing. The children likely brought by parents and the man of his own accord. The disciples reveal our impulses. They rejected the children. They didn’t think children warranted Jesus’ time or attention. They were shocked at Jesus’ teaching that it was all but impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. They assumed wealth and high social standing were a sign of God’s favor and blessing. Jesus reveals a vision of the Kingdom of God as an upside down, inside out existence compared with life as we know it.

Having worked with both teenagers and adults I can testify that there are commonalities, but a whole lot of differences. Teenagers are stubborn, short-sited, hormonal, erratic, self-centered, and inconsiderate. Adults are all those things, but with more experience. [For the record, that’s a joke.] There are a number of differences between adults and teens. One subtle difference I’ve begun to notice is the nature of the questions each asks. Adults tend to ask “how” questions. How do I do that? How can a person believe that? How can I achieve that goal. Teenagers tend to ask “why” questions. Why would I do that? Why does a person believe that? What would I set that goal? Often adults stop asking “why” because they know why. Too often we stop asking “why” because the answers are harder to come by, or they reveal too much about ourselves or others. A youth pastor can guarantee strong attendance and lively discussion in youth group by discussing sex. (Again, adults aren’t all that different.) The truly insightf

What’s the difference between a “Tattle Tale” and a “Whistle Blower?” A “Tattle Tale” tells a powerful figure about the minor offenses or negligence of a peer, with the hope that the offender will be punished and they will be rewarded. A “Whistle Blower” tells a powerful figure or publicly reveals the harmful and corrupt practices of a peer or a superior with the hope that the offender will be brought to justice and victims can experience restoration. The reporter often faces personal loss and sacrifice for the sake of justice. In this week’s reading John becomes a “Tattle Tale.” He tells Jesus about someone who wasn’t one of the twelve disciples, but was casting out demons through the power of Jesus. It seems John wanted it to be clear that only those closest to Jesus could act on behalf of the Kingdom of God. Jesus defied John’s expectations and encouraged his disciples to see the possibility that God could work through even the most unexpected people and circumstances.

For years I worked at a summer camp in Nebraska. Camp is the best place on earth to be with daily worship and amazing speakers 2-3 times a day, 5 days a week for a summer. It was amazing, I highly recommend it. At meal time all the cabin groups would line up outside the cafeteria, and wait for their groups to be called to go in to eat. It seemed like my group tended to be one of the last group to go in on a regular basis. This would always cause my campers to ask the question, why are we always last? To which I would reply if you want to be first in the kingdom of God, you have to be last of all. The kids didn’t appreciate my answer, no matter how biblical it was, because well, they were hungry. In our scripture passage this week, Jesus overheard his disciple talking about who is the greatest while they were walking along the road. Later when Jesus asked them what they were talking about, the disciples were too embarrassed to tell Jesus what they talking about. When they reached Capernaum Jesus sai

I was waiting in line at a pharmacy counter and I overheard the gentleman in front of me speaking with the Pharmacist about getting a flu shot. (I try not to eaves drop, but sometimes you can't help but hear other people's conversations in public spaces.) The gentleman said he thought he would wait another month or two before getting the flu shot because he didn't want it to wear off before the end of the flu season. The pharmacist explained that flu shots don't wear off, but are good for the entire flu season. Flu shots don't wear off because they aren't a medicine. They are an inoculation, a small non-potent amount of a virus injected into the body. As a result of that small infection, the body's natural defenses learn how to defeat the virus so that when a more significant exposure happens those defenses quickly and efficiently defeat it. It is a little exposure to an illness meant to prevent significant illness. We also can become inoculated in other parts of our live

From time to time a meme will make the rounds on social media that goes something like this: “Click ‘Like’ if you believe God cares about the the smallest details of your life.” The phrase is usually accompanied by an intricate picture of a flower, or a person in deep prayer. It can be encouraging to have that assurance that God cares about even the common or little things in life. It makes the rounds on social media because it is encouraging to be reminded that God is with us in both the big life moments and all the small ones too. How often do we consider the flip side of this intimate relationship with God? God is with us, even in the small things; are we with God, even in the small things? Our Scripture this week captures an incredible scene. In a powerful moment Jesus likens Peter to Satan. Often we pay so much attention to that power proclamation that we miss the teachable moment that follows. Jesus admonishes Peter that his concerns are about things that matter to humans, but God has concerns that Pet

What good would it be to be healed of blindness, only to walk around with your eyes closed? In this week’s scripture Jesus healed a blind man’s vision. The man who was blind, because of Jesus, was able to see. Shortly after this miracle Jesus asked his disciples two questions: “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” Peter, apparently answering for all the disciples, said that Jesus was, “the Messiah.” These stories aren’t just next to each other, they’re related to each other. Jesus gave the blind man sight, and the disciples saw Jesus was God’s Holy One (the Messiah). What good would it have been to know Jesus was the Messiah if the disciples lived as if they didn’t know? How do you respond faced with that same question from Jesus, “Who do you say I am?” What does your answer to that question mean for how you live?

When I was in Kindergarten my pastor was called to my small, home town church. (He really hasn’t been my pastor for about 18 years, but yet he will always be!) Not only is he my pastor, he is a second dad to me. He dropped me off at college, and seminary, he attended my CBC, Undergrad and seminary graduation, as well as my ordination ceremony. He has been at every important milestone in my life. His daughter is my best friend, and so we’ve done a lot of life together. In the midst of life with PB, I discovered something about him. There are times when he’s talking directly to me, and I have no clue what he’s talking about. No clue what so ever… and he’s going on and on like I know what he’s talking about. Over the years, I’ve started to process back through conversations and things we’ve done together…eventually I catch up to him, and realize he’s finishing a conversation from the last time we were together. It’s so much easier to do now that I’m aware of this habit, but I use to get so frustrated

In front of 4000 people, Jesus yet again shows a wondrous work, feeding all 4000 people with just few breads and fish. This miraculous work started with His loving heart, "I have compassion for them." In contrary, Pharisees demand yet another signs from the heaven like some kind of magic tricks. And, Jesus refuses to show with great sorrow. See, Jesus' miraculous works come from His selfless and true act of love. In Christianity, miracles are defined as an act of love not a magic tricks.

Secrets make for exciting and compelling entertainment. There are something like 24 films featuring James Bond working to reveal secret conspirators bent on world domination or destruction. Bond is just the tip of the espionage entertainment iceberg. As a culture, we eat up stories about conflict over keeping and revealing secrets. As we’re entering the most contentious season of the presidential election cycle we can be assured there will be ample political claims concerning secrets. Secrets will be used as both political weapons and political defenses. This use of secrets will likely inspire strong emotional responses among the public. Secrets have a visceral quality. There is a reoccurring theme to the Gospel of Mark that we have yet to explore in our preaching series. Throughout Mark’s Gospel Jesus seeks to keep many of his miraculous actions secret. Mark tells of Jesus preaching and teaching publicly and a few public miracles, but as Mark tells the story of Jesus’ ministry, most of his miracles happen

For the past forty plus years economists and academics have been arguing about an idea called the “Easterlin Paradox.” Developed by economist, Richard Easterlin, the paradox claims that there is not a direct link between a nation’s economic growth and an increase in happiness of its citizens. One of the reasons that there is so much unresolved debate on this issue is that happiness is incredibly hard to objectively measure. Typically, we measure our own happiness by comparing ourselves to others. We are happy if financially, relationally, and medically we are better off than our neighbors. If we aren’t able to keep up with the Jones' we become unhappy. In our scripture this week we have a very odd story in which Jesus calls a non-Jewish woman a dog. Even in Jesus’ culture this was an insult, but the woman was unfazed. She turned this insult into leverage and was able to convince Jesus to heal her daughter. Her happiness wasn’t a matter of comparison with her neighbors. She didn’t even seem discourage

“[Jesus] saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.” Mark 6:48a I have been inundated lately with the observation that people who become extraordinary have faced great challenges in life. It seems that struggle produces valuable skills and depth of character. I would observe that it isn’t just that people who face great challenges become admirable. Rather, all of us in some way have the wind against us. Suffering and strife are the rule in life, not the exception. Those we admire don’t necessarily face unusual difficulties, rather we admire the strength and courage with which they strain against the oars.