December 7th, 2022

December 7th, 2022

by | Dec 7, 2022 | PS from PS

ps from psSometimes for me, Jesus is amazing/annoying/inspiring all mixed together.

“Come away with me and rest…” (Mark 6 and a bunch of other places to his disciples)

Makes it seem easy right?  Resting.  Recovering.  Rejuvenating,  Sometimes the schedule doesn’t match up though.  Sometimes the demands of the day don’t seem to allow it.  Sometimes recovery and rest get pushed down the list by things that claim to be more important or that our ego or trauma have elevated.  

My greatest challenge is recovering from “life stuff” is making/finding/creating time.  Or the fallacy that I have to create some new sort of time to make it happen.  “Come away” barely fits into the schedule unless it’s time for vacation or an occasional day off.

But what if “Come away” is closer than we think?

I like to use the second definition of recovery in the Dictionary: the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost.   Something stolen or lost.  Ever feel THAT way?? Recovery is important!  Renewal is crucial.  Because if we keep allowing things to be lost or stolen, there’s soon nothing left.  

What I’m finding in Jesus’ invitation is that this “Come away” is not ONLY geographical/physical.  It’s spiritual.  It’s emotional.  It’s mental.  It’s INTENTIONAL.  He asking the disciples all the time to be more intentional about following him, loving others, taking time and finding space so that they will be able to recover what is missing.  And also realize what has actually been there the whole time!! 

When I’m training and I run a “recovery run,” I don’t go away to a separate bike path or road.  I run the same streets and miles that I usually do.  But my intention is different.  My intention is to come away and recover what was lost, used up and void.  My intention is about healing, mindfulness and sacred space.  And all the while, my geography didn’t have to change a bit.  

Yours doesn’t either.  You can “Come away” and recover right where you are.  There’s many ways to do it.  Jesus offered his disciples a ton of options.  The one I offer you today is: Thankfulness.

We just saw it happen a couple weeks back for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving heals us.  It invites us to focus on the blessings we have and the blessings we can share.  But Thanksgiving doesn’t need to just be a day.  It can be a mindset.  It can be a recovery run…right where you are.  Today.  The only thing is takes is intention.

I had the privilege to sit with someone last week that is going through lung cancer treatments.  We got talking about how thankful they were, even through all of these hardships and treatments they were facing.  Were they tired?  Absolutely.  But still thankful.  As we were talking, they coughed a couple times due to the illness.  But after regaining stability, they looked at me and said:  “See!  I’m still coughing.  If I’m coughing, I’m alive!  And that’s why I’m thankful!”  In Latin, it is said: dum spiro spero – “While I breathe, I hope”

Today I invite you to recover!  Recover through a few moments of thankfulness.  Set your intentions to come away into that space.  You might have a way you want to do it.  Great.  If not, here’s an option.  Contact the following five people and text/email/call them to tell them you’re thankful for them.
1.  Close friend you haven’t talked to in while
2.  Family member
3.  Someone that taught you…anything
4.  Someone that works for good in the world
5.  Someone that might need some encouragement.
And if you really want to go crazy, write them a note with paper and pen.  Remember those?

So come away.  Recover.  Set your intention for thankfulness.  And allow healing to occur.

Lord, thanks for invite me to come away for recovery.  Amen

Be well, safe and blessed,
ps 
November 30th, 2022

November 30th, 2022

by | Nov 30, 2022 | PS from PS

ps from ps
It’s that time again to be devoted toward Jesus’ call to “feed the hungry.”  



So thankful to be partnering with WBBZ (the channel that airs WNY Church Unleashed) for our third annual event.  I’m hoping that we have an incredible turnout of gift cards, cash gifts and bags of non-perishable food.  Thanks to Delta Sonic’s generous sponsorship, the first 100 people bringing in gifts of $50 (or more) in cash/gift cards will receive a Delta Sonic car wash gift card.  

We’ve even had people mail in the store gift cards with a self-addressed, stamped envelope and we’ve sent the car wash gift card back!  So if you’re not able to come Sunday, that’s a great way to still help.

Please help out in anyway that you can.  The food will go to FeedMore of WNY which supplies the food for the Tiger’s Den Food Pantry.  The Tiger’s Den had a 20% increase in families last month and we expect increased demand as we move through the winter.

Just drive around the parking lot of St. Paul’s on Sunday morning and folks will unload the food right from your car.

Thank you in advance for sharing your blessings.  May we devoted to battling food insecurity in WNY.

Lord, thank you for my blessings.  Lead me to share them  Amen

Be well, safe, warm and blessed,
ps 
November 23rd, 2022

November 23rd, 2022

by | Nov 23, 2022 | PS from PS

ps from ps
I hope your focus tomorrow is not just on Thanksgiving.  

My hope for you on that day, this day, and in the days ahead is an incredible focus on thankfulness.  Not just one holiday worth or one meal worth or one Bills win worth.  But instead, because that is how we are designed and it can be moment-day-circustance-life-changing.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5:18)

Not just for one day.  Not just when we gather around a table.  Not just if the turkey is perfect.  Not just if we score the right amount of goals tonight.  

It’s the will of God for us.  The design of our very being.  Intrinsic to who and what we are.  From start of life to end of life.  And if you are still reading this, I know you are somewhere on that spectrum in between “start” and “end” of life.  And on that spectrum, not every day turns out to be the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade!  Some days are hard.  Some moments are shattering.  Some circumstances challenge us to our very core.  And the incredible invitation in those moments especially is to be turned toward thanksgiving.  Turned toward the positive that is still there in the negative circumstance.  The light that is still there in the darkness.  The hope that is still there in the seemingly hopeless.  

Notice, Paul didn’t write to the Church and tell them to be thankful FOR all circumstances.  He said IN all circumstances.  Because even IN the toughest moments, we still have breath.  We still have love.  We still have hope.  We still have God’s presence holding onto us.

Tomorrow, I hope your turkey is awesome.  I hope the Bills crush Detroit.  I hope every person in your/my crazy family gets along and no one drives you nuts.  I hope your travel is easy.  I hope your Turkey Trot time is good.  Give thanks for all that stuff for sure.  

But I also hope you’ll start today, and carry through to Friday and beyond, a spirit of thanksgiving in all things: good, bad and ugly.  And even for a moment of breath to breathe in God’s love for you in the toughest of times, may you give thanks.

Lord, thanks.  In all of it.  Amen

Be well, safe, warm and blessed,
ps 
November 16th, 2022

November 16th, 2022

by | Nov 16, 2022 | PS from PS

ps from ps: (in person worship updates at the end)
What WERE your plans for the weekend?

If you’re reading this in WNY, you know we’re in for a sizable dose of snow coming off the Lake between Thursday and Sunday. If you’re outside of WNY, you might not see a flake – carry on.

(Editor’s Note: For review, Biegner Winter starts December 1st.  According to Bylaw 14.a.3, none of the upcoming snow is authorized and needs to be gone in three days upon arrival if outside the Dec 1st – March 10th paradigm.  Whoever is in charge of fall has dropped the ball terribly)

For those of us in the 716, our plans for the next few days are about to be interrupted.  Even just spending time getting ready for the storm that may or may not arrive at current hyped levels will take some time, energy and directional change from our original plan.

It’s sometimes annoying when our plan gets interrupted.  Off track.  Or canceled completely.  

While I was recently doing my planning for Church Unleashed recording, I noticed that one of our upcoming church texts is the angel speaking to Joseph and saying: “Your plans are about to get tossed out the window bro!  God’s got something different in store for you.  And it’s going to probably be hard, and messy, with a splash of dangerous, and a side of frustrating.” (Biegner version of the Bible). 

It’s worse than Lake Effect.  It’s a Godapalusa Storm!  And it changes plans.  

Now I don’t want to give away the ending, but when Joseph lives into the new direction, it works out pretty well and helps the kingdom of God to break into the world and the greatest salvation-bringing moment to occur.  No biggie.

Maybe your plans have had to shift lately?  You don’t have to be called to become the father of the world’s Savior to have plans shift.  It could be health stuff.  Could be your goals.  Could be jobs.  Could be relationships.  Could be various other “life snow storms.”  Plans might have to change, but God’s love for you never will.

Whatever this change looks like, I encourage you to live into it as a loved child of God.  And as Joseph did, be open to this new direction as a way to see God with you, speaking to you, living with you.  These new directions, new plans, new schedules, new activities, new routines and all the rest may just grow your faith, grow your self and grow the mission God has in store for you. 

If the storm gets rough this weekend, live into it.  Change plans if needed.  And in those changes, look for new ways to be open to God’s love for you.

Lord, help me change with you when plans change.  Amen

Be well, safe and blessed,
ps
November 9th. 2022

November 9th. 2022

by | Nov 9, 2022 | PS from PS

ps from ps:
Had a great run yesterday in beautiful WNY fall weather filled with sunshine.  But I had an even better conversation while running.

As our run began, we passed by a church sign that said: “Healed people, Heal people.”  It’s a great invitation to church but an even better conversation starter on a lunchtime run.  We guessed that the opposite is true as well: “Hurt people, hurt people.”  Then my running partner started telling me about a book he’s reading.  Its focus – our search for peace in the midst of daily life.  I thought – That’s not one edition, that’s a full set of encyclopedias!  (Millennials and younger – Google 1970’s to see pics of “sets of encyclopedias”….although I’ve probably lost your attention by this point anyways.  I’ll post a pic on The Instagram). 

The search for peace.  What a challenge!  Most of the time, we can name the easier moments early and late in the day when the chaos is over.  It’s easier when you’re done with the day sitting at home with a glass of wine/beer, finally done, talking with that person to whom you are related by marriage, kicking back in the cozy slippers with the dog laying next to you on the floor.  But that’s only about 10 minutes at the end of the day!

The search of peace becomes way more challenging to live into DURING the day.  With the range of stressors hitting our windshield at 74 mph, how do we live into peace during those moments.  

We realized together that this movement toward peace is tricky and needs practice, but there may be a few key components that will help the process.  It’s especially needed when we’re letting the stressors overwhelm us already.  So maybe, it’s that much more important that we hone our skills for this search earlier rather than later.

Paul (writer of a bunch of New Testament books and starter of a bunch churches which those books are named after) said to his early, growing, sometimes stressed out churches: “May the peace of God which passes all human understanding, keep (like guarding something) your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  

So maybe that’s the start.  What is God’s love and peace inviting us to “keep” ourselves in and what is it “guarding” us from?

First, when some event/incident/thing causes stress in our day, we have to remember that the event is just that – an event.  We have to name it.  It helps to be self aware enough to feel/sense what this event is doing to us, what emotions it brings us and what it triggers.  God didn’t place us in a vacuum.  Life happens.  These events are neither good nor bad until we recognize that they are affecting us and assign value to them.

Second, we have a choice on how we want to move through it.  The stressor doesn’t control us, get to define us or steal energy that we don’t want to let it.  Our choice in that moment is to decide, how do we want to let ourselves experience this stress?  Because if Paul is right, we are being guarded by God.  Guarded by the love we were given in our birth and baptism.  Bad things happen in the world, but because of that love, they don’t get to control or define us due to God’s naming us as a child of God.  That’s our primary and most important name.  That name allows us to say: “OK, Mr. Event.  How do I want to move through this as a child of God?  Will I give into fear, which leads to regret?  Or will I grab hold of peace NOW and not let go. so I don’t have to wait for the cozy slippers to come on later to do it.”  

My primary definition is: Steve, child of God.  That definition comes with undeserved grace, love and forgiveness.  Then there’s a long list following that: Steve – husband, dad, son, pastor, chaplain, friend, Bills and Sabres fan.  (OK, on game days, I’m ashamed to say that order might be different.). But if I define myself by my team and they lose, that stress more easily controls me.  Or at my job, and I’m told I’m terrible at it, that stress more easily controls me.  

But if we start with child of God and live into all our other rolls and jobs with that as our baseline, it keeps our hearts and minds in God’s love for us and the world around us.  

And third, forgive yourself when you don’t get it right and you will feel that peace in live time.   Jesus told us as much!  He told the disciples if you carry around the burden of your brokenness or the brokenness of others, the only person it weighs down is you!

This past Sunday at St. Paul’s, as I am prone to due (ask Michelle) I took a joke to far and messed up.  I was telling people what the financial commitment cards were and that when they prayerfully filled them out, it was just something for them and to help the Finance Team plan.  No one was going to show up at their door to beat them up if they were behind on their pledge and as I did it, I used names that stereotyped a group of people.  It was wrong and I knew it as soon as it came out.  And I’m very sorry that I did that because this is the slippery slope that has caused large groups of people to have stereotypes built up around them, “defining them,” and I need to call that out.  Especially when it’s me.  I ask for your forgiveness.  

Last night, one member of our Cultural Awareness Team that was there Sunday texted me and called me out on it.  She was clear, loving, graceful and forgiving.  I apologized to her and I apologize to you.  But I also had to forgive myself and feel the grace and peace she was offering and sense the grace and peace that God was offering.  That “event” could have stressed me out, and clearly I handled it wrong on Sunday.  But now, I can add it to the list of times when God sends people to teach you, so you can be better in the future. 

+Name the event/stressor and realize how it’s affecting you.

+Make the choice to move through it defining yourself first as a child of God: saint and sinner, loved and graced.

+Forgive yourself along the way and sense the peace.

And may the peace of God which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Lord, guide us on this search for peace.  Amen

Be well, safe and blessed,
ps