Author Archives: John Keller

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About John Keller

I am a retired Lutheran pastor whose intention is to consent to God's gracious presence and actions within.

To Run or To Clean

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This morning I had a decision to make.  One choice was to attend the Cemstone Run for Others, a 5K or 10K road race at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, my old congregation.  I co-directed the race for over ten years and the lead pastor, John Hogenson, invited me to attend.  My other choice was to help with the spring cleaning projects at Resurrection Lutheran, my new call.

For various reasons, I decided to help with clean up at Resurrection.   For one thing, the clean up would all be in doors, and this morning’s weather was raw with a cold wind and snow.  I always enjoyed running in the Run for Others, but this year I am still in recovery mode and would not have been able to run.  I certainly would have enjoyed seeing the many colleagues, congregants and community members at the race in spite of the weather.  They are many deep relationships there for me.

Everyone can help at Resurrection

Still I enjoyed my morning at Resurrection.   Allison and Owen are two young kids who came with their dad, Ian, to help out.  They vacuumed up the small metal shavings on the tables that Ian and I repaired.  They also helped sharpen pencils and clean some of the carpet.  At a recent new member class Allison and Owen helped me carry out some of the garbage and then we had a wonderful adventure exploring the nooks and crannies of their new church.  Their participation along with the twenty adults who came made this a memorable morning for me.  For me, a new fellowship of caring relationships is forming.

When a pastor moves to a new congregation, it can be tough to bring closure to the many relationships at the old congregation.   I realize that has been a challenge for me. Yet the greatest joy comes in being open to the new relationships at Resurrection.   This is where God has called me and where I plan to give my emotional and spiritual energy for many years to come. 

Someday I may run again in the Cemstone Run for Others.   But it wouldn’t be the day when Allison, Owen, Ian and I are doing our spring cleaning.

Nurturing Encouragement

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This morning Seth Godin, a marketing guru and writer, wrote on his blog about “Turning the habit of self-criticism upside down.”   In it he wrote,

  When reviewing just about anything you’ve done with yourself (in your head), the instinct is to be brutal, relentlessly critical and filled with doubt and self-blame.

When talking to ourselves, what if we were a little more supportive?

I identify with this self-criticism habit and know others who do so as well.   It is so easy to find fault with one’s self. 

One habit that helps me turn off that “critical inner voice” is to provide encouragement and support to others.   To turn from inward to outward, to turn from self-criticism to praising others.

St. Barnabas the day after he split with St. Paul

My Biblical model for this is Barnabas, a little known early church leader.  He is first mentioned in Acts 4:36.  His original name was Joseph; he was Jewish religious official from the island of Cyprus.  On his conversion to faith in Jesus he sold a piece of property that he owned and gave it to the church.   He was quickly renamed Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement” because he so freely support others.   He supported Paul after his rocky conversion.  Paul had first persecuted the church and the early leaders were skeptical of Paul’s conversion.   Barnabas stood by him as a kind of sponsor/mentor.  Barnabas accompanied Paul during their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2) and the great council in Jerusalem (Acts 15).  Then Barnabas was willing to split with Paul when Barnabas wanted to encourage and support John Mark in spite of John Mark’s spotty record.   Barnabas lived a vibrant life of encouragement and exhortation.

I have discovered my own need to have several “Barnabas” in my life.  My colleague and friend, Pastor John Straiton, has always given me passionate support during my ministry, both by prayer and encouraging words.  My friend Tim has kept my running and biking in spite of injuries and struggles.  And many members and friends of Resurrection have given me words of encouragement and support in my first months here. I am so thankful for these gifts.

How do you give encouragement to others or yourself?

Write Habits

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The Write Stuff

Writing this blog has become one of my daily work habits.  My original intention was to help my new congregation get to know me by telling some of the stories that have shaped my life, especially my faith life in Jesus Christ.  Yet I also believe that the act of writing shapes my faith as well.  Writing this blog has pushed me to express my faith in meaningful, concrete ways.

I have kept a journal since college, but it has always been a private thing.  Sometimes it has been my Bible study and prayer journal.  During the call process last summer, it was one way to reflect on whether or not to pursue the call to Resurrection. There have been long stretches where I did not journal much.  Other times where it was a daily MUST-DO to stay sane and keep perspective. 

In recent years, as I embraced running, my journal habit became my running log.  There are several on-line programs where a runner/biker/walker/blader can log their daily miles and work-out notes.  I became pretty meticulous in my record keeping, measuring my daily workouts  to the nearest tenth of a mile and second.  I could not go running without my heart-rate-monitor watch to record all the detail.  After the summer and fall of 2005, when I trained and ran my best marathon, my log from that training period shaped all my future marathon training programs.  

In a way this blog has taken on some of the characteristics of my journal and exercise log.  Since I have embraced this practice, I want to grow in my ability as well as my faith.   The one big difference is now I have a public audience (small but growing) that I seek to encourage, provoke, inform and challenge.  The readers’ comment help shape this blog and in turn shape me.  Thank you.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.

What habits shape your faith life?

Our Part in the Fifth Act

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N. T. Wright, the New Testament scholar, helps me understand the Biblical story as a drama with five acts.  The first act is creation, beautiful and good, Genesis 1-2.  The second act is the human rebellion against God (also known as the Fall), Genesis 3-11.  The third act is the entire story of Israel, from Abraham to the Messiah (Paul sketches this out in Galatians 3 or Romans 4).  The story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is the climatic fourth act of the drama, the hinge on which everything turns.  The fifth act is the story of the church beginning with the book of Acts, and this is where we live today.

Wright goes on to explain,   

When we read the story of Jesus, we are confronted with the decisive and climatic fourth act, which is not where we ourselves live – we are not following Jesus around Palestine, watching him heal, preach and feast with the outcasts, and puzzling over his plans for a final trip to Jerusalem – but which, of course, remains the foundation upon which our present (fifth) act is based.    Indeed, telling the story of Jesus as the climax of the story of Israel and the focal point of the story of the creator’s redemptive drama with his world is itself a major task of the fifth act. (The Last Word, N. T. Wright, p. 124)

This story structure is central to our understanding of scripture, how we read and interpret it.  We are still in the story and it has not been completely written, but the main outline is known.  Jesus’ death and resurrection is now our assurance that evil and death has been defeated.    We live in confidence that God has won the war.  There may be individual battles and struggles ahead, times we feel discouraged or in grief.   Yet God’s victory is assured.  The centrality of Jesus’ death/resurrection is why we retell over and over the Good Friday/Easter story every year.

That is also why we can read the story of John 11, the raising of Lazarus, as our story, thinking at times like Martha and Mary that death has won the day.  But we know that Jesus’ resurrection has happened and we live in that new reality.   A new creation is present now and will be fully realized in the future.

How has the story of Jesus become your story?

Weather or Not to Live

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Mount Rainier on a clear day

This morning waking up to warm sunshine and blue skies gave my heart a real lift.  I know that  the weather should not determine my mood, especially when one lives in Minnesota year round!   Still God created me as a physical creature that relishes sunshine and abhors long stretches of frigid, grey days.   I am not a robot who has not feelings, but a being that has passion, joy, love, pain and sorrow.

Jesus was one who embraced all of life.  He changed gallons of water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:6-10).  He enjoyed eating at lavish meals (Luke 5:29-34).  He provided food for the hungry and healing for the sick.  Jesus was not a spiritual ascetic who rejected the simple good pleasures God give to us.  He spent some time in the wilderness, but  even more time with people in the villages and towns of Galilee, Samaria and Judea.  He came from heaven to live among us. 

Jesus gathered friends around him and enjoyed their company.  He wept when his friend Lazarus died (John 11:34).  He rejoiced when his disciples return from their short mission trip (Luke 10:21).  Jesus grew tired on his journey to Galilee (John 4:6). He became angry at the money changers in the Temple (Mark 11:15).   Jesus did not pull away from life, but showed us how to enter it completely.

Growing up in western Washington state, I remember many weeks of grey cold rain.  Though mountains surrounded us to the east and west, we did not regularly see them.   When finally the clouds lifted and Mount Rainier was visible, everyone felt a lift in emotions, a lightness of heart.  Our context had changed, and so did we.  

The vibrant life of faith in Jesus will always be lived in context, in relationship to the culture, community, family and even the weather.   We are physical creatures as well as spiritual.  Let us be passionate in our embracing the vibrant life.  

How have you experienced the Vibrant Life of Faith in Christ lately?

Bike and Life Lessons

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New Bike Joy

As I posted last Thursday, I finally got to ride my new bicycle.   My first attempt only went two blocks, when I realized I did not know how to shift from the big front gear/ring to the smaller one.   After calling my running friend, Tim Torgerson, in a panic, I went to the NOW sports store where they showed me in 2.3 seconds.  

Returning home I tried again to see if I could bike beyond my neighborhood.  I did finish nine miles but I was not very comfortable on the bike.  Shifting, clipless shoes, cateye speedometer, all felt awkward and new.    Fortunately I kept my favorite quote by Ken Blanchard in mind: Unless you feel awkward doing something new, you are not doing something new.

So this morning Tim offered to ride with me and help me become more familiar with my bike.  First off, he reminded me to shift back gears often, but mainly stay in the smaller gear ring in front.  We then biked about 17 miles together.   At one point, he had to make some clothing adjustments and stopped, but I pedaled on, thinking he would catch me soon enough.  After being chased for two miles, I slowed and stopped.  When he caught me he shared a bike etiquette rule: if someone in a group stops, you stop as well.  You don’t know how long the person will need to stop and catching someone on a bike is a big challenge.  “Love your neighbor as yourself,” I thought.

Tim also wants me to practice is riding in a straight line, not wandering all around the highway.  It is more energy-efficient and less stressful for the other riders with you.  To do this I needed to keep my visual focus further down the road, not so short-range.   I still had to glance short-range for rocks, bumps or pits, but I needed to look further out to guide the bike in a steady way.

Here lies a spiritual lesson.  Too often I am looking at short-range problems or issues, not seeing the larger picture of following Jesus.  He not only rides beside me, but he is the long-range direction on whom I need to stay focused.   He will keep me on the “straight and narrow.”  “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.” Matthew 7:14

What is God teaching you lately?

Trust Live Serve

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Mom and me enjoying a birthday treat

Today is my 57th birthday.  So I am planning to trust, live, and serve in a more intentional way.

First, I will continue to trust that Jesus has a purpose and plan for my life as his child.  I am called to pastor Resurrection Lutheran Church and I trust God is the author of that call.  I also continue to trust in the sinner/saints of this wonderful congregation.

I live as child of God.  Later today I plan to ride my new bicycle for the first time.  Playing is part of living.

I serve.  This morning, my mother and I will go to her lawyer to make some minor adjustments to the Durable Power of Attorney papers that I have for her care. She brought me into the world so the least I can do is make sure she is cared for as she lives with dementia.

 Trust Live Serve.  A good way to celebrate life as one of God’s children.

Martha Thompson Story

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Disappointed Martha

Martha Thompson faced a family crisis.  Her brother was gravely ill, near death, and she turned to someone she trusted.  She asked for her pastor to come, to pray with them.  Martha really loved her pastor and thought he was someone very special, very close to God.  His prayers for the family had always worked in the past and his ministry would be critical for her brother’s healing. 

 Unfortunately, the pastor was out-of-town.  Being the resourceful person that Martha was, she found out where he was vacationing and sent word that he should come right away.

This pastor loved Martha and her family.  He had spent time at their home, eaten at their table and laughed at their jokes.  But after he got the message, he did not come back to town right away.  He deliberately delayed two days before coming.

And by the time he arrived, Martha’s brother had died, a neighboring pastor had done the funeral and the brother’s body had been in the grave for four days.  Needless to say, Martha and her sister Mary were a bit ticked with their pastor.  When they heard he was in town, Martha marched right up to him said,

“Jesus, if you had been here, my brother Lazarus would not have died.” John 11:21

This is the point where our lives intersects with the Biblical story.  When we face disappointments, trials or set backs, we wonder where God is.   What happened to Jesus?  Isn’t Jesus suppose to protect us from such pain and grief?

What amazes me is Jesus’ response.  He reminds her of the resurrection, the hope of eternal life.   Martha responds that such a hope is in the distant future, not much comfort now.  Jesus then gives an incredible promise, a fantastic promise: I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).   Not in the future, “I will be the resurrection,” but right now, in the middle of disappointment, pain and sorrow.  I am the resurrection and the life.

Then to demonstrate the power of his promise, he raised Lazarus from the dead.  

Jesus makes the same promise to everyone who believes in him.  Either this is the promise of a crazy man, or the Son of God.

I get goosebumps when I read this story, especially now that I am serving Resurrection Lutheran Church.  

How have you experienced Jesus’ promise of resurrection and life?

Stories, Butler Bulldogs and Lazarus

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As shown in my recent posts, I am a big fan of stories, especially how the Biblical story intersects with our own individual and community stories.   I am an advocate of narrative theology, the idea that the heart of the Bible is not an instruction book of regulations and rules, but a story of God’s creative and redeeming that we live into.   Yes, there are commandment and rules to follow; all stories have those.  The commandments guide and shape the story but they are not the essence of the story.   Stories have surprises, twists and turns, which the story actors discover along the way.

Bulter Bulldog Prior to Game

Last night NCAA championship basketball game had its own story.  Butler University, a non-major University from Indiana, was playing for title against an established powerhouse, the University of Connecticut.  The Butler Bulldogs was poised to write a new chapter in the “David versus Goliath” motif.  I confess my own fascination in the developing storyline.  

Then the game was played.  Butler could not buy a basket, and the expected story fell apart.  Now the Butler team and fans will have to adapt to a different conclusion to their story.  

Stories have a way of doing that, not following the established plot line.  Lives have that trajectory as well.   One can follow all the rules, do all the hard work, follow the established norms and still not achieve the desired outcome.  Or a surprise or twist of grace can intervene and a new story begins.

This Sunday the gospel text is John 11, the story of Lazarus.   Lazarus was sick and his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for their friend, Jesus, to come quickly that Jesus might heal their brother.  One would expect that Jesus would have honored their request.  The story explicitly states: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” (John 11:5).

The story, however, takes a strange twist.  “Yet when he heard that Jesus that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”  Jesus deliberately chose not to rush to Lazarus’ aid. The story catches us off guard.   That twist opens us up to a new perspective on Jesus and life.   Jesus is not a magician who serves our needs.  Jesus is like an author shaping the stories we live. 

More on Jesus’ part in our story tomorrow.

Who are active writers in your life story?

Living Out Your Story

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Jon and Maggie's Story

Last Saturday, my son Jonathan wrote a story that had some odd twists.  He visited some friends in Chicago with his girl friend Maggie.  The main event was to see a Cub’s game at Wrigley Field.  On the way to the game, a friend mentioned that he had made reservation for the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock center.  Jon expressed surprise, while Maggie expressed joy.  She had visited it once before and knew what a special place it was.

Little did Maggie know that Jon was the one who actually made the reservations.  Jon’s plan was to ask her to marry him that evening.  He also arranged to have several of Maggie’s friends join them for the dinner immediately after the proposal.  But he wanted this all to be a surprise.  Even though the two had been discussing marriage for a couple of months, he had not formally asked. He had the ring and approval from Maggie’s parents.  Now he needed to ask prior to the guests’ arrival.

However, as Maggie and Jon approached the elevators for the restaurant, a new wrinkle in the story appeared. They were running a bit late and the line for the elevator was quite long.   Jon was sure one or two of the Maggie’s friend would show up while they waited in line, ruining the surprise.  All his carefully designed plans would be wrecked.

Then a simple act of grace appeared.  A hostess asked if anyone had reservations for dinner.   Since most of those waiting in the line were only going to the observatory, Maggie and Jon were escorted to the front of the line and whisked to the 95 floor.   There he found a quiet spot overlooking the city lights and proposed.  Maggie, surprised and pleased, said YES.  All the special guests arrived and the meal of celebration could begin.

I wonder if the elevator hostess knew what a special gift she was giving that evening.  In a small way it reminds me of the young boy who offers his bread and fish to Jesus; that offering became the feeding of the 5000 (John 6).  We each have parts (big and small) in stories that are being written.  

Jon and Maggie are planning an October wedding.  Their story of celebration continues to be written.