One Donation Leads to Another

Over five years ago my good friend Mark Koenig received one of my kidneys.  After much delay here is something of a nice account of our journey together.  We hope that perhaps it can be published somewhere so others can know how blessed it is to give and receive an organ.  Enjoy!

One Donation Leads to Another

by Kristian Bjornstad and Mark Koenig

One evening in February, 2008, after coming home from work building firetrucks, Mark Koenig turned on the evening news.  Headlining the news was the report of an extensive fire in Scranton, PA which destroyed an apartment building and left 13 individuals and families out of a home.  Mark lives in the small township of Jefferson Township, PA, about 15 minutes outside of Scranton along with his wife Kim.  Thankfully no one was seriously injured in the fire, but the neighboring Peace Lutheran Church was working hard to collect household items for the fire victims.  It was reported they would even be willing to come and pick up donations.

This news about a Lutheran church working so hard to help perked Mark’s interest.  Since moving to the community from New Jersey several years previously, he had failed to find a church home.  It had always bothered him because he had been a life long Lutheran.  It was also a fact that he needed to get rid of good furniture that had started cluttering his home.  He talked with Kim and called the number on the screen.

Pastor Kris Bjornstad picked up the phone and was happy to arrange a pickup at the house for the next day.  It was a large donation and Mark kept piling the load higher with everything he could think of which might be good for a new apartment.  Pastor Bjornstad had to make an extra trip to transport everything.  A couple weeks later Mark was in church and happy to have found a spiritual home.  He had been through a lot, knowing how God had saved his life more than once in various situations – and now he knew he was going to need the Lord’s help again!  The doctors had just told him that a hereditary kidney disease was setting in and he would have to be on dialysis very soon.  It felt good for him to be in church again and worshipping his Lord and Savior.

It was just a few weeks after his donation and coming to Peace Lutheran that he started life on dialysis.  Instead of having to go to the hospital for dialysis three days a week for treatments, he decided to try a new technique of “home dialysis” where he had a machine at home where he could be more comfortable.  There were drawbacks, of course, including the fact that you had to do dialysis five days a week for 2-3 hours a day instead of three days a week for 4-5 hours at the dialysis center. But the main advantage was that he could continue to work during the day and do his dialysis during the evenings.  Even though it was nice having dialysis at home, the five days a week grind was extremely limiting on his life.  Treatments never felt good and took a constant toll on his body.  Because dialysis is only a short term treatment the doctors advised Mark to register with the National Kidney Transplant list.

Having Polysistic Kidney Disease (PKD) is not easy to deal with.  Beyond the physical issues of being sick constantly, it takes a large toll emotionally and spiritually.  Mark struggled with questions about life and death and the purposes that God still had for him.  It is hard to think and live positively with the constant dependency on a machine for daily existence.  As willing as she was to do anything for her husband, Kim also suffered immense amounts of stress trying to take care of her husband while working a full time job.  It was her task to prepare the dialysis machine, insert the needles, and make sure that everything was working correctly for her husband.

The weeks, months and years on the transplant list were grueling.  Mark has an O+ blood type, the rarest and most difficult type to match.  After three years of home dialysis with no calls from the Kidney Transplant list, Mark’s cousin volunteered to see if she was compatible for a transplant.   Although she was a match to Mark’s blood type, she was not able to be a donor because of a blood clotting issue.  Through this all, Mark was intent on trusting the Lord to help him in his trials.  He kept a positive attitude and was always glad for the many prayers his family, friends, and the members of Peace Lutheran Church offered up to God for him.

PASTOR BJORNSTAD’S JOURNEY TOWARDS BEING A DONOR

It is often said: “Be careful what you pray for.  You might get it!”  We say that usually in reference to our prayers for ourselves.  But does it not also happen in our prayers for others?  Prayer is a communication with The Lord – and it should be two way.  We need to be listening!  Often times the answer that God is giving to a particular prayer request for someone else is “I am calling you to do my will and be my agent of mercy for that person!”

So it was with Pastor Bjornstad and his prayers for Mark.  Week after week Mark would say that nothing had come of his search for a transplant.  No calls…  Possibilities dashed…  Then one day Mark came with the news that he was enlisting the help of doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD.  They had indicated that he might be a candidate for a new type of kidney transplant where donors do not have to have matching blood types.  Now anyone would be a possible donor, and pretty soon the answer to his prayers for Mark became clear.  Previously it was easy to say,  “I don’t have the same blood type as Mark so I can’t make a donation”.  But that was not the case anymore. Pastor Bjornstad became convinced that God was challenging him to put his faith on the line and give up a lot more than he was used to for someone else.

One night he went upstairs and asked his wife Monica what she thought of a kidney donation to Mark.  She was not partial to adventure and risk-taking, so he was surprised and pleased when she agreed to supporting the pursuit!

And so began the adventure of a lifetime with so many rewards.

THE PREPARATIONS FOR AN INCOMPATIBLE KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

The screening process for Pastor Bjornstad was initiated and completed.  It involved one trip to Baltimore and a series of tests, none of them burdensome or invasive.  The determination was made that his kidney and his general physical and mental health was satisfactory.  The decision was made to set a date for surgery and initiate the preparations needed for Mark to receive his new kidney.  These preparations were going to be significant, and there was no turning back at that point!

Mark reported to Johns Hopkins Hospital three weeks prior to the scheduled surgery to undergo all the necessary treatments to prepare his body for the incompatible kidney.  These treatments consisted of two processes.  The first  took the blood from his body, filtered it through a special system that removed impurities his kidneys could not.  After that process was complete a second treatment commenced the same day for the purpose of removing his immune system and replacing it with the donor’s immune system (which had been cultured from Pastor Bjornstad’s blood work).  These treatments were four days a week for three weeks while at the same time they juggled his regular dialysis treatments.  This put increased strain on Mark’s body and would make him constantly sick.  He was cared for by his best friend from high school, who lived outside of Baltimore.  Jay and his wife Sarah Cronk provided transportation and housing during and after this whole process.  Without their help this would have not been possible.

The day before the surgery, Mark’s mother, his two sisters, along with his brother, his wife and son, arrived to offer support.  Kim had been coming down on weekends but now had taken vacation time to be there the week of the surgery.  The doctors had been working hard to adjust certain blood level numbers in the days before surgery.  The day before the surgery the numbers had not been to their satisfaction and doctors ordered extra last minute treatments to get the blood levels correct.  It was an exceedingly difficult time, but thankfully, everything came together the morning of surgery.  The lab tests came back with good numbers and the go-ahead was given.  It was a great relief for all involved.

Pastor Bjornstad was unaware of all of these difficulties with Mark’s surgery prep.  Back in Scranton, he was trying his best to avoid thinking too much about the surgery.  In the run-up to the last day, it had always been a matter of “surgery is a ways down the road…”  But the night before the surgery came it no longer “it is a ways down the road…”  It was tomorrow!  What was he going to do now?  There was only one thing to keep saying:  “Trust the Lord.”

Pastor Bjornstad woke up at 3am after a fitful sleep, two members of the congregation were waiting outside his door to take him to Baltimore.  It was difficult because no one knew whether they should talk about the surgery, or if a discussion about the weather was better.  It was a very long four hour trip!  Arriving safely in Baltimore, Cy and Mike helped bring in Pastor Bjornstad’s suitcase and made sure he was through the registration process and settled in the hospital room before they said their goodbyes and headed back to Scranton.

DIFFICULTIES AND DOUBTS

Up to now, Mark had always displayed an upbeat attitude, trying not to show too much anxiety over the impending surgery.  It was only hours before the surgery when he started to show true emotions regarding the severity of the surgery.  He took comfort in the love and encouragement of his family.

At this point, it needs to also be said that Pastor Bjornstad’s outlook had certainly clouded.  He had imagined and prepared himself for the probability that he would not feel so charitable at this moment before surgery.  His expectations were correct.  He couldn’t stop saying to himself: “Is this REALLY what I want to do?  Perhaps I should just go home right now.  I don’t really have to do this.”  Having all these doubts going through his mind, he called a nurse and asked if he could see Mark.  Arrangements were made and he was brought to Mark’s room.  Also present in the room with Mark was his mother, his sister and his wife Kim.  Pastor Bjornstad will always remember how there was instant peace in his heart as Mark’s mother expressed how much it meant to her that her son was going to receive a new kidney.  There was no question now.  It was all truly a blessing to be able to share what God had given in abundance.  A prayer and hugs were shared by all.  The final preparations for surgery commenced with much joy and confidence.  Also giving him much comfort was a hand-made blanket sewn by the Peace Lutheran Church Parish Nurse with this prayer on it:

Dear Lord,

You are the Light of the world.

We lift up to you Pastor Kris, our Shepherd, who teaches us about your Light and helps us to live in Your Light.

Please bless him and keep him in your care, and be in the hands and labors of all who care for him.  Amen.

THE BLESSINGS REALIZED

Mark woke up from surgery on the day of his 48th birthday and was glad to see his family members and friends with the news from his doctors that everything went very well.  But he knew that there would be struggles ahead.  The risk of rejection is higher with a non-compatible kidney transplant.  After a two week stay in the hospital Mark was released to stay at his friend’s house and for the next two months while he had to make frequent returns to the hospital for check-ups.  Finally the doctors were satisfied with his kidney function and he was released to return home to Scranton the day before Thanksgiving to continue his recovery under the auspices of local Scranton doctors.  Even as joyous as that return home was, dangers had not passed completely.  After six months tests came back indicating that the kidney was experiencing rejection and Mark had to go to Baltimore again for special treatments.  The rejection was controlled, and since then there has not been another incident.

Pastor Bjornstad’s recovery from surgery was much easier.  After some minor setbacks in recovery, he was back home five days later with his wife and four daughters.  Within six weeks he was back to his regular work schedule, and it wasn’t too much longer that all physical effects from his grand adventure of faith disappeared, except that his one remaining kidney actually grew in size to help compensate for the one missing!  The doctors expect that even with one kidney functioning normally, he should not expect any problems with kidney function unless he lives well into his nineties.  That chance is a small price to pay for many years of full life for Mark.

BEING BORN AGAIN – A THIRD TIME!

Mark’s faith in God, the comfort of his church family, along with his wonderful family and friends, made this journey a growing personal experience.  The freedom and new life that his new kidney gave him was like being literally born again.  As a Christian he believes that he was born into this world at first, then born into the family of God in baptism, and now he has been given even another life!  He still has to live with certain health issues.  The kidney disease destroyed his Pancreas and his diabetes needs to be controlled.  Of course he must take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.  But compared with the previous dread of living at the edge of life and death, he is exceedingly blessed, and he thanks the Lord every day.  Mark’s new kidney has given over five years of good service and the doctors are hoping for a good fifteen or maybe twenty years before the strain of living in a body not its own will take its toll.  At that point he will be having to look for another donor unless the miracles of God through modern medicine find another way to health.

CONSIDER BEING A LIVING DONOR

Mark will most likely need a second kidney in the future, but many thousands of others are still desperately waiting for their first kidney transplant.  Becoming a donor is a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in God’s miracles of healing.  It is easy to make your body eligible for donation after you die, but there are great blessings in being a living donor.  Firstly, live donation organs are usually in much better health and last longer than organs donated after death.  The second blessing is that the donor gets to know and enjoy the fruits of the donation.  It is such a joy for Pastor Bjornstad to know Mark as a friend and see him in the pew and be encouraged by his faith and work in the congregation.  He can see, demonstrated in real life, that scripture is true and that it is indeed better to give than to receive.  We encourage everyone who reads this story to consider being a donor.  It is true that not everyone can be a donor because of various health and life circumstances, but for many, young and old, there are opportunities to become a living donor.  Pray to the Lord for his guidance and courage in becoming a donor.

As we know in the life of Christ, and even as we can see in the simple act of giving away furniture to families in need, one donation leads to another!

You can find out more about living donations today by going to www.donatelife.net.  You can find out more about incompatible blood donations at www.hopkinsmedicine.org/transplant/programs/kidney/incompatible/

Two Kingdoms Distinguished

Jesus said [to Pilate], “My kingdom is not of this world.  John 18:36

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

I don’t know about you, but my brain has been overloaded lately with a politicking that has never been seen or experienced here in the United States before.  We might despair of all hope if it were not for our Savior.

As a pastor and as a church we are obviously bound to not be partisan in the back and forth of this divided nation.  We fully understand that Christians can and do take different positions on the affairs of the nation – and we need to be generous to those who think and believe differently.  We give wide berth to each other in love because the bible does not specify how a nation is to be taxed, built, defended, etc.  These are the affairs of what we call the “Kingdom of the Left”.  These issues are to be dealt with through reason.  But as we all know, even as husband and wife, we often find our reasoning to be different on even daily life.  We need to learn how to understand and live with each other peaceably.

But this does not mean that the church should have no voice in the affairs of the nation.  In fact, even as we ought not take political “sides” and voice any specific support for a party or candidate, the church IS to be the judge of the affairs of the nation when it comes to issues of right and wrong, issues of morality, and issues concerning the “Order of Nature” that God ordained for human society in its creation.  Our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has taken public stands on three important issues:  Sanctity of Life, Sanctity of Marriage, and most recently, the Freedom of Religion. We are free to speak to the issues of morality.  And we do this apart from any political flag waving.

We do recall in these difficult days how the scriptures call on Christians to pray for our governments – so that peace may reign and that the Gospel can be preached.  (1 Timothy 2:1-3)  We most definitely need to be diligent in our prayers, asking the Lord to give us His wisdom as His people.  We need it as we endeavor to be active participants in our democratic governments.

Perhaps the most difficult thing we struggle with these days is despondency, anger and frustration with our failed governments and politics.  How important it is for us as Christians to understand this mess that we have made for ourselves as sin.  How beautiful it is for us to be able to pray “Lord Come Quickly” to save us!  How precious it is for us to know that our Lord Jesus took the long hard road to Calvary and the cross to save horrendous sinners like we see ourselves to be in these evil days.  We are all in this together.  It is all our fault.  We pray “Lord have Mercy, Christ have Mercy, Lord have Mercy” for good reason.  We praise God that His “Kingdom of the Right” is not of this world.

May we truly bow our hearts to the Lord this Lent as we view the sinful terror of His crucifixion.  May we exalt in the victory over all sin in the glory of that same death and the power of His resurrection.  To God be all the Glory.

My Sister Priya’s Funeral

The last couple weeks have been difficult for our family. We do need your prayers. My sister Priya, of 43 years, took her life. She has always struggled, and there were many factors over the last weeks that led her to despair over her life. We are grieved, but not without hope in Jesus. During the funeral, the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Willmar, MN allowed me to address the congregation. I appreciated his allowance, and I wanted to share my message with any readers as well.

Thank you, pastor Greg, for letting me take a few minutes to share some words with the congregation here gathered on this difficult occasion.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

On behalf of our family, and from my heart I would like to share a few thoughts.

First of all: Thank you. Thank you for being here to support our family, yes. But we want to say thank you for more than that. We want to say thank you for your love for and friendship toward Priya. The economy of her heart was huge. She gave so much. She was, in so many ways, an overflowing fountain of God’s love. We all were amazed and thrilled by how God blessed us through her. But the needs of her heart were great as well. She needed your love and care, and you were there for her in so many ways day in and day out over so many years. Her friends here at Redeemer, her JOPPA friends, and so many others, were the currency of her life. You meant the world to her. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Every act of kindness and love toward her is not forgotten, not by us, not by Priya, and certainly not by the Lord.

Priya, as you know, did not have an easy life. At about the age of one year, she was left by her parents on the steps of a South India hospital.  Sick with Polio, she was taken in by nurses and cared for – and eventually came to our family. But that was just the beginning of many challenges. Her burdens were many. Some burdens you know. Some we know. Many only God knows. Ultimately it is impossible for us to truly know the secret despair of her heart and how the devil so cultivated it in her mind. The terror of our sinful condition can be overwhelming for even the most faithful among us. From what we can know, it seems like her despair overwhelmed her last Monday evening and she took her life. This is so devastating. But it puts us all on our knees and we cry out “Lord, have mercy on us all.” We look to Jesus, the Good Shepherd and say as we all walk through the valley of this shadow of death: “Lead us to the green pastures and still waters… show us the goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives… lead us to dwell in your house forever.”

We might find ourselves today remembering Priya’s life by the manner of her death. May it not be so! Her sin was great. But dear friends in Christ, let this remembrance of Priya’s death be drowned in her baptism and buried with Christ in his tomb. Our lives as Christians are not defined by our sins. Our lives are defined by the victory of Christ Jesus our Lord, risen from the grave and ascended. Our lives are defined by HIS love and forgiveness, not by our doubt and sin.

We all love to see the picture of the little girl walking with her father, reaching up and clinging to his one finger. Every father treasures these times – and this image is what we often imagine our relationship with our Heavenly Father to be. But in real life it is not enough – either with our earthly father or heavenly father. In the safe gardens of life a father can enjoy that little hand gripping his finger. But when there is danger, or a busy street needs to be crossed, that little girl’s grip is not enough. Her father will immediately reach down and envelop her whole hand with his firm grip and bring her to safety.

Dear friends, I was there when Priya was Baptized and stepped into eternal life. I was there when she was adopted into the Family of God and when her Heavenly Father received her. You and I are witnesses to her confession of Christ and her love for Him. We know how she clung to her Heavenly Father’s finger. But in the storm of life and in her weakness her grip slipped on the finger of her Heavenly Father. But thanks be to God our relationship is not defined by our weak faith and sins. Her Heavenly Father’s firm hand has gripped hers and HE carried her to the safety of His bosom.

This is no wish upon a star. This is the firm promise of God in Jesus Christ, crucified for sinners. Blessed be the Lord.

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you all the days of YOUR life. Thank you again for your love and care.

Supporting our Police: Necessary but Conditional

On the anniversary of the Ferguson, MO riots, our country continues to grapple with not only race relations, but the relationship between citizens and their police officers. It cannot be underestimated how important a well supported police department is to the peaceable functioning of our communities and democratic nation.

What is it that contributes to good relationships between citizens and police? Probably the most important element is a citizen body that is honorable and respectful in itself. A big question these days is if citizens of this nation are able to give respect to anyone, much less a police officer. God save us.

Another element is good government. The police force is the enforcement arm of the government. If citizens are convinced governments are trustworthy and the laws just, they will be supportive of the enforcement of that government and law. God save us.

A third condition of a supported police department is a well-trained and honorable officer core which never takes the support of the community it serves for granted. While it is true that citizens need to remember that police officers are human beings and will make mistakes, it is also true that there should be no rest for a police department in their quest to be the best and most honorable force possible. There is no substitute for a humble, wise, and exceptionally well trained officer who is bred to be a true servant of the community and its citizens. The slightest hint of a corruption, corrupted ego, or racism should never be tolerated in an officer.

The civilian must respect the officer of the law. The officers of the law must be respectable. Like a marriage, both must do their duty faithfully for justice and peace to be rightly preserved in our communities. God help us.

Letter to the Editor: The Pope and Evolution

In our Times-Tribune editorial page, Pope Francis gets kudos for reiterating the Roman Catholic view that there is no essential conflict between the Christian faith and evolution. He somehow believes that God implemented his creation through the big bang and evolution.

Contrary to what the Pope says, (and forgetting the fact that evolution is promoted as the way to explain the world apart from God!) it really is extremely difficult to square evolution with the Christian faith. Who are we as humans? Perfect creatures of God made in His image? Or the product of millions of mutations? And what of death? Did death come through the sin of man? Or is it “part of nature” since the very beginning? If death is “natural”, then we certainly don’t need to be saved from it through the work of Christ! As well, philosophically, the whole understanding of “survival of the fittest” is diametrically opposed to the nature of God. This is just the beginning of the discussion.

The church should never be in opposition to ethical scientific research and discovery, but neither should it ever be seen as beholden to “scientific conclusions” that directly contradict the orthodox faith. The obvious reason for this is that scientific “truth” is very hard to come by – especially when dealing with things we cannot actually observe. We all know that much scientific “fact” today is fiction tomorrow.

It is interesting that most citizens of this country still do not believe in evolution – to the terrible frustration of so many who work hard to discredit any explanation for life other than pure materialistic chance. The theory of evolution has deeply serious problems scientifically (too many to list here, but readily discoverable to anyone who will investigate.) However, its greatest problem is plain and simple common sense.

Reformation Rally to Christ!

Today we take the time to give thanks for the life and message of Martin Luther and the many men and women of the Reformation.

We remember those themes that still resonate in our lives as Lutherans today:

Scripture alone!

Grace alone! [that is through Christ alone!]

Faith alone! [apart from our works]

In our world today these themes are so beaten down and twisted – if they can be heard at all – even in the church at large.

A sad example of how the church and society have gotten away from the basics of the Christian faith is yesterday’s edited interview of Archbishop Joseph Kurtz which was printed in Scranton Times-Tribune. The Archbishop is the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and he was in town speaking at the Conference on disABILITY at the University of Scranton. I wish I could have heard him speak at the conference, but here in this substantial interview that focused on disabilities, but also ranged to the church’s use of technology, to homosexuality and evolution, the thing that I noticed right away is that he never spoke of Christ or sin or salvation. Never did he mention or refer to scripture! We see that the true power of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ (which has direct bearing on each those issues he spoke about) has been simply stripped from our Christian faith! Even high leaders in the church are somehow stricken dumb by Satan and the world and cannot utter the name of Jesus. They try to find any explanation they can other than sin to explain the problems of the world.

I contributed a comment to the article online and I submit it for your consideration here:

I have no idea what was really said in the interview, since it was edited, I just want to say that this article is another example of how we have stripped sin, Jesus, and salvation from Christianity. “Every blessed one of us – because of aging and because this life on Earth is not permanent – will have disabilities.” the Archbishop is quoted as saying. Whatever happened to the problem of sin and its consequences on our lives? Even the “innocent”? On the one hand, we know our fallen creation results in disability and death for all of us, and we should never say someone is disabled because of their particular sin… however the Lord wants to make it perfectly clear that even in the midst of our sin God is present and desires healing for us, and that he will be glorified through His grace and mercy upon us in our disability and weakness…

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (John 9:1-7 ESV)

So Blessed Reformation Day to you! Let Jesus be the heart and soul of our Reformation lives together! Let the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in our lives and thrill us at every turn.  Amen.

As the NFL Turns (Writhes)

I must admit that football is really the only sport that I follow. I must also admit that I rather look forward to NFL opening day and watching very large children violently throw themselves around a field and smash into each other for millions of dollars. But now instead of Sunday headline games, I am treated to daily headlines detailing the bad behavior of NFL players – and everyone dancing around trying to act outraged.

It is difficult to navigate the issues laid out before us, but a few things strike me:

1) As much as I might like watching football, the whole enterprise of professional sports is not a particularly positive or Godly aspect of society – even IF the good folks in the NFL would like to convince us otherwise. Neither does it contribute to our lives as Christians. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a game! But it seems obvious to me that a pickup game at the neighborhood park would do us a lot better than couch sitting with a beer in hand.

2) As much as I enjoy watching football as my body wastes away, what is worse is what it does to its players. Or at least that is what am gathering. We hype them up, glamorize them, put them on pedestals, give them gobs of money to throw around, and then eventually abandon a third of them to early dementia. Some of them do well enough, though I can’t image what kind of person I would end up being after an NFL career. It wouldn’t be pretty.

3) So if we train up our players to be tough guy, kick ass, gladiator types on the field whose only purpose is to take out the opposing team, why are we surprised when they are gladiator types in real life? Why does it shock us when a player disciplines his son with a stick or knocks his girl out with an easy throw of his fist?

4) It truly is terrible anyone is injured in any way at the hand of someone else. But do we really have to be force fed every indiscretion of these sorry fellows? Does the NFL actually care about what its players do? Is there true repentance anywhere? Or is this all just a publicity stunt? These atrocities happen every day thousands of times – in our own families and communities… Why is it particularly outrageous that THESE particular individuals do it? There is something really messed up here. If a professional sports player commits some crime or indiscretion in his life, he should get his just reward – whatever it might be. But let it be noted on page two of the sports section and lets get on with…. football?

Get on with football? Well… MAYBE… But I am feeling that it just isn’t going to be the same anymore… All our dreams about what sports were… they just really were dreams. Nothing more.

In the Face of Evil, Let us Rally to Christ!

There are times when we get pretty sick. And tired. And frustrated.

We see the world falling apart. We see evil men behead the innocent on camera and post it to the internet. We have the drum beat of war in Europe for reasons beyond stupidity. Despot rulers seem to get their way as defenseless men, women and children are bombed out of their homes and communities. Egos and hubris and everything BUT Christian love and peace are being demonstrated over and over again as headlines battle for the top spot. And that is all of what happens in the ‘rest’ of the world… The headlines from this side of the oceans can seem just as bad as the tide of anti-Christs deluge our families, communities, and nation.

        And yet – we are so lazy in our faith. We are anything but zealous for the Lord. We cannot see Christ through our tears. We scowl and grumble at the Lord and each other. We are seemingly paralyzed by our fears and preserving instincts. It sure would be nice if we could do what Bob Newhart told his fearful patient in his famous TV show sketch: Just “STOP IT!” Or, as our latest Disney queen would say “Let it go!”

        But no. It sure is hard! It seems that we really are poor miserable sinners – and we like to do what we do best: sin. Just like the rest of the world.

        However, it just so happens that we have a Savior. His name is Jesus. Have you heard of Him? Lately at all? Reputable sources have said that He loves to forgive sinners; that He loves to heal the sick and comfort the mourning. Rumor has it that he lifts up the weary and makes them strong… makes them soar as eagles on a strong wind. The testimony has come down through the millennia, and even our fathers and forefathers have whispered it in our ears years long after they have lain down in their graves – that there is someone who is truly worthy of our attention, truly worthy of our worship, truly worthy of our devotion. And it behooves us to stop and consider our first love, the one who created and redeemed us, who forever pours his glorious goodness upon us – even in the face of our rebellion and hatred of His lovely and pre-ordained ways.

        In these evil days, let us throw off our dull sloth. Let us cling to our creator and redeemer, the lover of our souls… the one who goes before and suffers the cross and all our damnation.

        

In the face of every evil… Rally to the Love! Rally to the Cross! Rally to Christ!

                – Pastor Bjornstad

The Unfortunate Trajectory of Space Exploration

I am a huge fan of science in general and have always been an avid follower of NASA and space exploration. It is so exciting that next year we will see Pluto up close and the big news lately has been the European Space Agency spacecraft and their mission to land on a comet! Amazing stuff, no doubt.

But even as the discoveries that will be made can’t help to be thrilling all by themselves, I just can’t decide whether to laugh or cry (or just stand there with my mouth gaping wide) that the whole space exploration effort these days has been completely co-opted by a driving necessity in the scientific community to find an excuse for life here on earth. I heard one NASA official crow the other day about how “NASA is ALL ABOUT finding life in outer space” – and how he is so confident that they will find it very soon!

I have no problems, theologically or in principle, with finding “life” in outer space. I have no problem with being “on the lookout” for life. But it seems that pure scientific observation at NASA has had to take a back seat to this obsession with the question of life. And that is too bad. They are “spaced out” and definitely on the wrong trajectory!

Of course we do know why their trajectory is so badly off course. The brains at NASA, as brilliant as they are, are scrambled worse than eggs. And their propulsion systems are all running on the wrong fuel as well. This whole endeavor (funded by you and me the taxpayer) has become simply an intense effort to explain our existence apart from God. It has become almost the “religion” of the modern, atheistic, politically correct, scientific community. They MUST find some explanation of life because otherwise their whole world view falls apart and there must be a god. (Evidently there is this great hope in humanity apart from God!) If there is life outside of the confines of earth then they can surmise that life is not “special”, and that somehow the overwhelmingly bad odds of life arising out of a “primordial soup” on earth billions of years ago – are actually not that bad at all.

Anyway, the terrible prediction I have about all this is that we had better stock up on the antidepressant meds and have the bridges lined with nets around NASA headquarters: It is going to be tough dealing with all the disappointment!

In the meantime, in the onslaught of all the news and propaganda from NASA, I am a lot happier living with the “odds” that each and every one of us were created by an amazing God who loves us and cares for us – a God in whom we have our beginning and end, even our salvation. We indeed are so very special! I pray you will believe too!

The Debate in Christianity on Capital Punishment

Today in the news we hear of how the Arizona convicted murderer Joseph Wood seemed to have suffered over 100 minutes during his execution by lethal injection before he finally died. It is quite a story that it seems to be getting harder and harder for the state to execute its criminals because the drugs that used to be so effective in killing are unavailable now.  Drug makers have either ceased production of them or simply refuse to sell them because they object to their use in these executions.

Capital punishment has been a hot topic for many decades of course, but I am not really sure that people are all that aware of the philosophical debate generally, or the debate among Christians. Most people I think determine their view on the death sentence by how they “feel” about it… But it is really quite a fascinating topic if we stop to learn more – with good points on both sides!

The debate over capital punishment actually has broader implications – implications for the whole of our criminal justice system. The question at issue is “What is the aim of our criminal justice system?” The historic view of almost every culture and society has emphasized the “justice” issue. If a crime has been committed then the purpose of any sentence is to administer punishment. This view has been called “Retributionism”. Sounds nice and simple.

But then in the last couple centuries another idea has begun to gain a lot of traction. This idea is that the main aim of the justice system is not so much punishment, but “rehabilitation”. A couple years ago I visited the Eastern Pennsylvania State Penitentiary in Philadelphia – and the history lesson there was summed up in its name “Penitentiary”. It was where criminals were to come and learn to be “penitent”, to repent of their sin and learn to reform their lives. Its original “Rehabilitationism” vision was not so much punish criminals, but to reform them and make them into responsible citizens. This view came out of the “Enlightenment” and a high view of human nature and the capacity for the will of man to change.

So which view is more Christian? Some Christians would argue that the main point of the Bible is that God hates death and that he loves mercy. It is plain that God certainly desires the reformation of the heart life through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. They would point to places in the scripture where God spared the murderer – such as with Cain and King David. But the Retributionist Christian certainly has lots of scripture to back their view up as well. Certainly capital punishment was included in the laws given by God that governed the early Israelite nation. And certainly St. Paul admonished all Christians to respect the sword of the government that was instituted by God to keep the peace in the land.

I personally take the view that although God certainly does desire every chance for repentance and loves mercy, and that every opportunity should be taken to minister to the criminal so that he might repent and reform his life, all this does not take away from the principal of justice in the Kingdom of the Left (Civil realm) and that the government and society have every “right” to implement capital punishment. HOWEVER: I also take the view that capital punishment is not a requirement of government and that in mercy we might desire to cease its practice. I suppose the one thing that makes me hesitate the most in being a vocal advocate for it is that our Justice System is so fallible. The sinful and often corrupt law enforcement and Judicial system has proved so incredibly wrong so many times that you have to suspect that almost any conviction is suspect. It is so very difficult for me to think about how many people have been wrongly executed.

Ultimately with this and so many of our vexing problems in life, the reality is that there is most definitely no “good” answer. We desperately need good sound thinking on the subject, but we also need a fleeing to the Savior who loves us even though we can’t get a handle on life. Even the fact that we even NEED a criminal justice system is sobering! It drives me to repentance and love for my savior Jesus the Christ!