In the past 24 hours I’ve been on the phone multiple times with Bob* & Lori*, a couple I’ve known for more than ten years – since they were nineteen. Lois and I were at their wedding and we’ve stayed in contact as they completed their education and Bob began working in a church as the youth pastor. This morning I looked and found the letter of recommendation I wrote when Bob applied for this position five years ago. Last night at the church leadership meeting Bob was given an ultimatum: resign within 24 hours or, on Sunday morning it would be announced that he had been fired for “inappropriate conduct with an underage girl.”

About two weeks ago, Corrie*, a 16 yr old girl in the youth group, sent Bob a text. She attended a party where there was lots of alcohol and couples pairing off. She woke up not remembering much and now she was afraid she might be pregnant; she had questions and wanted to talk. Bob agreed to meet her at the local coffee shop – a favorite with the youth and a place he often met with teens. 

That night Lori and Bob talked about Corrie’s situation and prayed for her. Corrie continued to text Bob; they exchanged more than 200 texts over the next two weeks and Lori read most of those texts because she and Bob don’t have secrets. In spite of encouragement from Bob, Corrie did not want to talk to her mom and step-dad. They didn’t go to church at all and had problems of their own. Corrie thought her mom was already talking to a lawyer about a divorce.

Wednesday morning, while Corrie was in the shower, her phone rang and her mother answered. That call was soon forgotten as she began looking at Corrie’s text messages. She found the thread of messages with Bob about Corrie’s fear of being pregnant. 

Corrie’s mom demanded to know what was going on – and Bob’s last name. In spite of Corrie’s protests her mom was convinced she was having an affair with the youth pastor. That afternoon Corrie’s mom went to the church, with Corrie’s phone in hand, angry and screaming and threatening a lawsuit.  

The senior pastor looked at the texts – all the way back to the first ones where the meeting at the coffee shop was set up. Alcohol, parties, meetings at the coffee shop, fear of pregnancy – without Corrie and/or Bob & Lori to explain, the evidence was overwhelming. 

By this time Corrie borrowed a friend’s phone and called Bob to tell him about her mom but he was still surprised by the terse call he got from the senior pastor: come to the church right now.

When Bob walked into the church office he found the senior pastor, the chair of the church board, and Corrie’s mom. He was asked if he had talked or communicated with Corrie in any way in the past three hours. He said yes. Bob was stunned when the church board chair sternly suggested he say nothing more until he spoke to a lawyer. 

Bob saw no need for a lawyer – he’d done nothing wrong. He tried to explain and the senior pastor attempted to come to his defense but Corrie’s mom was unconvinced. She knew all about priests and pastors who prey on teenagers and every man she’d ever met only wanted one thing.  She walked out of the room. The senior pastor and board chair, even though they were trying to be supportive of Bob, couldn’t believe he had been so stupid as to meet with a girl and exchange text messages, many of which mentioned sex and menstrual cycles and parties. Even if Bob was completely innocent – and they wanted to believe that – this didn’t look good.

Then Corrie’s mom walked back in the office and announced she had just called the sheriff. He was on his way over to arrest “this predator” (she pointed to Bob). Bob told me at that point he just went numb. When the sheriff arrived and heard the story he wouldn’t arrest Bob because Corrie was not there to corroborate; her mother was livid and this time left the building. 

Thursday morning Corrie showed up at Bob & Lori’s house. She can’t believe this is happening and wants to leave home and stay with Bob & Lori. They had to say no. That night the church leadership met. Bob & Lori and Corrie told their story and felt they were understood. They answered a lot of questions and, after some discussion, were asked to leave the room.

The church leadership decided it was “best for the reputation of the church” for Bob to resign. 

Even though God looks at the heart, people look at appearances. (See 1 Samuel 16:7)

My heart aches for Bob and Lori. I’ve prayed with them. Wept with them. Read scripture with them. Prayed some more. 

It’s 8:30 pm Friday; I just got off the phone with Bob. We reviewed his resignation letter one last time and he’s on his way to hand-deliver it to the board chair.

I asked Bob and Lori if I could share this because this could easily happen to about 50 people I know. We all need to be careful. If you think “this could never happen to me” you would be just like Bob this past Monday. Now his world has been turned upside down. 

Remember: an unguarded strength quickly becomes a terribly destructive weakness.

*Names have been changed, but this is shared with permission.

This past year has been one great adventure! I feel exhilarated by all the ways I’ve been honored to witness God at work.

My responsibilities with Christian Union came to an end in June after serving for almost 8 years as their pastor-to-pastors. I was honored to serve God by serving pastors. There’s a great deal of pain and confusion as to what the national organization of C.U. will look like in the future. A group of 11 churches in Missouri have asked me to continue to pastor their pastors and are providing a small honorarium. Our Pastors Conference in March will be the first time together since August and I’m looking forward to that weekend.

Every week I travel to the Cedar Rapids Alliance Church where I serve as a part-time interim pastor; speaking on Sundays and spending time in the office on Thursday mornings. What a privilege to come alongside and help them in searching for their next pastor. We are in serious, prayer-saturated conversations with a candidate and I anticipate he will be called to Cedar Rapids in the next few months.

One of the great things about helping the churches in Missouri and the church in Cedar Rapids is that I can live in the house at Doolittle Acres. Yes, it’s a 90 mile one-way commute to Cedar Rapids but that gives me time to make phone calls and pray and listen to God.

It also means I see Joy and Kari and my two sons-in-love and all six grandkids at least weekly because they’re just five miles away. Peter is still in West Des Moines and we get together about once a month. Of course, email, texting, phone calls . . . all help keep us connected.

My Mom, Clarice Eschenbrenner, is still at the Manor House just 20 minutes away and will turn 90 on January 16. She loves to get cards and it would thrill me to read your notes to her. Her mailing address is 1212 S Stuart Sigourney, Iowa 52591.

At 59 years young, I feel primed for whatever God brings along next! What will the next year hold? I don’t know. I’m trying to resist having any expectations beyond watching God continue to work. I love Margaret Clarkson’s great hymn, God of the Ages:

God of the ages, history’s Maker,
planning our pathway, holding us fast,
shaping in mercy all that concerns us:
Father, we praise you, Lord of the past.

God of this morning, gladly your children
worship before you, trustingly bow;
teach us to know you always among us,
quietly sovereign Lord of our now.

God of tomorrow, strong overcomer,
princes of darkness own your command:
what then can harm us? We are your people,
now and forever kept by your hand.

Lord of past ages, Lord of this morning,
Lord of the future, help us, we pray:
teach us to trust you, love and obey you,
crown you each moment Lord of today!

May the God of tomorrow give you confidence in His abiding presence!

Jim Eschenbrenner

October is Pastor Appreciation month and every church and each individual in those churches should do something to show their pastor appreciation for all he and his family give to the Lord by serving the church.

My Dad was a pastor – I was one of those “preacher’s kids.” Dad and Mom made huge sacrifices to serve God in local churches and although I never heard them complain, I knew that life for our family was a lot different from anyone else – except other pastors. And it wasn’t just dealing with the lack of money, or living in some parsonage that no church member would ever live in, or all the school activities and birthday parties and special events that were missed. 

I think the biggest sacrifice my parents made was in allowing – even inviting – the people around them to share their deepest hurts, betrayals, anger and disappointment and then truly “bearing” those burdens with them. They dealt with the disappointment of knowing when some people volunteered to do something in the church, it would soon be forgotten and my parents would, once again, be called upon to “pick up the slack.” There was an understanding of long lists of things expected of them which were never stated in a job description. They served as janitors and landscapers and snow movers. Rarely did a church reimburse all the expenses paid from the family checking account to host missionaries, evangelists, and youth groups from other churches “just passing through” who needed a place to sleep for the night.

My parents never mentioned any of these things – they just served. Let me clearly state: when God calls people to serve Him and they answer that call as pastors, every sacrifice is rewarded by Him. There is great satisfaction in being a pastor and most of us would not trade what we do for anything on this earth. 

Still, pastors need to be commended, thanked, rewarded – they need to be appreciated. Take action. DO SOMETHING to show your pastor, his wife and his family how much he is loved.

Whatever you do, don’t make a big show or give an announcement in church or ask the pastor and his family to stand up in front. Remember, he does hundreds of things in the life of your church that no one will ever know about. He is not looking for recognition. Your pastor puts great effort in pointing people’s attention to God – not to himself. Give him the gift quietly, when no one is watching. That will mean a lot.

This morning I watched the news shows replay the twelve year old video clips of planes flying into the World Trade towers and the Pentagon. The broadcasters also reminded us of the attack in Benghazi one year ago where four more died at the hands of terrorists. These are branded into the American conscience as unspeakable tragedies which claimed the lives of almost three thousand people.

As I watched the gruesome video of people jumping out of burning towers, I wondered how many people who died in these terrorist attacks heard the Good News about how much Jesus loves them; of a life full of purpose and meaning when lived for and with Christ? How many of their loved ones have the same kind of hope I have about where Lois is today?

Jesus, the Christ, the son of the Living God, gave us two uncomplicated responsibilities: (1) Love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and start by loving your neighbor as much as you love yourself. (2) Go make disciples teaching them everything Jesus taught us; baptizing them as a sign of the new creation at work.

How are we doing? Is the church functioning correctly? Is the Body of Christ reaching out to others in expressions of genuine love, care, and acceptance? Are we feeding the hungry? Coming alongside single parents? Do our neighbors and co-workers see the authentic truth at work in us through our actions?

The church isn’t perfect because we are not perfect people. There will be power players, private agendas, people trying to build their own little kingdoms, leaders who say things they don’t mean, pastors who get mad, delegates who stuff ballot boxes . . . We need to humbly admit our sin and short comings and get on with the task of reaching out to people who are desperate for hope.

For the past three years I’ve written about my wife on this day; her life, our journey with cancer, and her death on 9-11-09. We had thirty-four years and twenty-six days together and she is missed, but we all celebrate the reality of her presence with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is my desire to honor her love – her legacy – by giving my all to living out the Great Commission through an unwavering commitment to the Great Commandment.

Will your life go on as usual tomorrow?

Every once in a while we find ourselves stuck.

My aunt, who is 80 and a widow, recently went after her trash can which had blown into the adjoining field. There was a lot of rain with the wind and the field was muddy; a lot muddier than she anticipated. Her feet got stuck in the muck and she lost her balance and her shoes came off as she fell. Covered in mud, carrying her shoes and dragging her trash can, she made her way back to the house. Must’ve been quite a sight.

When she called and told me what happened she described the mud as if it had a personality and tried to capture her – especially her shoes and feet. She laughed and I laughed with her –  but being stuck in the muck really isn’t funny.

It would be too easy to just sit down in the mud right now; it seems as if we’re surrounded by the “muck” of bombings, train wrecks, tornados, destruction, and disaster.

Our human nature compels us to “take action,” to attempt to explain the evil, give reasons for the destruction, and claim God’s judgment for sin. Instead, it is our responsibility to “be careful how we live” and “be filled with the Spirit.” It takes a great deal of self-control and self discipline to avoid getting stuck in the muck of this world.

Paul writes this to the church at Ephesus: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

“Paul calls for a dual imperative: ‘Be very careful how you live’ and ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’ The responsibility for being wise and making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil, belongs to the believer.”

“Any form of spirituality that makes the Christian feel less responsible and separates the experience of the Spirit from personal discipline, determination, and diligence is foreign to the apostle Paul. To be filled with the Spirit causes the believer to embrace the challenge of ordinary life, not avoid it.” (Webster: The Christ Letter, p137-138)

We are not responsible to explain why a tornado wipes out an elementary school and erases a subdivision; we are to “be filled with the Spirit.” Such a filling enables us to step into the suffering with those who have lost, to give sacrificially, to pray, to love others in the name of Jesus.

It would be all too easy to just sit down in the mud and feel sorry for ourselves; allowing the muck of all the world’s disasters to suck us in. But let’s make sure our focus, our attention; our hearts are centered in Christ. “Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians (5:19-20)

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I highly encourage you to direct monetary gifts to Convoy of Hope, a relief and disaster ministry out of Springfield, MO.

This morning I received a request from a great friend of mine; a pastor I’ve known for almost 20 years. He asked if I knew of any good counselors he might recommend to a couple experiencing difficult times in their marriage. I sent him a list within a couple of minutes but I was plagued by a gnawing sense that more needed to be said. This is what I wrote:

You are an excellent pastor and YOU ARE capable of helping this couple either together or individually.

What they really need is Spiritual Direction – not therapy. And you are more than qualified to provide Spiritual Direction!

• You can show them how to pray the Psalms – especially the Psalms crying out to God for help.
• You can carefully listen to them and sensitively pray with them.
• You could work through a book with them. Here are some suggestions:

            As for Me and My House – Walter Wangerin

            Mystery of Marriage – Mike Mason

            Loving Each Other – Gary Smalley

            Love & Respect – Emerson Eggerichs

            Choosing to Forgive Workbook – Frank Minirth

            Soulcraft – Douglas Webster

• You can ask lots of questions – penetrating questions that require much more than a “yes” or “no” and wait for them to reply.
• You could even give them homework.

I trust I’ve not burdened you but I will repeat: You are a wonderful pastor and you could speak wisdom, mercy and grace into these lives.

The text arrived on my phone about 3 this Monday afternoon and read: “So where was God when the bombs went off in Boston?”

In God’s Word we find many accounts of atrocities like the brutal terrorist attack at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Exactly why does Scripture include these horrific stories? Shouldn’t the story of God be full of good, nice, peaceful people living in complete harmony?

We live in a world that since the beginning has been marked by sin – the willful rejection of God at the center. Instead we strive to be in control, to “have it my way.” The cumulative effects of generational rejection of God and the selfish demand to be in charge has resulted in escalating violence, relationship failures, substance abuse, entitlements, empire building, – and the list could go on. This afternoon we witnessed the consequences of living in a broken world: horrific bloodshed perpetrated by humans against other humans all made in God’s image. But God was there.

God does not ignore the results of sin. He’s not a bystander nor is he too busy to be bothered. The Easter story, which we just celebrated a couple of weeks ago, is ultimately the account of God stepping into our suffering. He does not leave us alone but enters into the pain, confusion, and grief with us. Jesus lived on this earth. Jesus suffered extreme poverty. Jesus experienced prejudice, rejection, and death. We are not alone.

The Sons of Korah were the sacred song writers of Israel’s golden age who recognized the presence of God in the middle of trouble. In Psalm 46 their lyrics include: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

God is always present – never absent. He joins us in our suffering.

Where was God when the bombs when exploded? Right there in the middle of broken bones, sheared-off limbs, bloodied faces, and shredded skin. Right there with common people who took off their shirts and belts and jackets to stem the flow of blood. Right there with the first responders and EMT professionals. Even as I write this, God is in the surgical suites, hospital rooms, and funeral director’s offices. He has not abandoned us.

“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Ps 46:11