Why I like the Saint Louis Cardinals...

Why I like the STL Cardinals

     I guess it goes back to being born in Saint Louis, and living in close proximity to "The STL" (my affectionate name for my hometown) for all of my childhood, and much of my adolescent and young adult life.  No matter where I roam, Missouri will always be my home.  (To my friends in South Dakota, don't fret, I love living in the Black Hills, and have no plans to leave any time soon).

     One of the benefits of being an Eastern Missouri boy is being part of the best fans in all of baseball--A STL Cardinal fan.  There is nothing like the sea of RED/WHITE you experience when you are watching a Cardinal baseball game.  Whether sitting in the seats at Old Busch Stadium, or the New Busch Stadium (something I have not done yet), or watching at home on the tv or cumputer(thanks brother Steve), it is a wonderful sight.  And the Cardinal fans are so knowledgable about baseball.  You hear commentators in the media talk about this often!  We are polite, with the occasional jerk who usually has been drinking too much being the exception.  While attending games, I have had fans of rival teams express this about Cardinal fans. 

     HISTORY--What a rich, long, and storied history the STL Cardinals have had.  Last night winning thier 11th World Series in club history!  Sure there have been ups and downs, joys and disappointments; but you will find that with any sports team in any sport.

     The Cardinals are exciting to watch.  Sure they nearly give me near heart-attacks more often than not, but I must admit, they keep me on the edge of my seat and wanting to watch.  Did you happen to see game six on Thursday night?  What a terrible 8 innings by both teams.  But the 9th-11th innings were nothing short of spectacular.  That is Cardinal Baseball! 

     The list of players we have had....Rogers Hornsby(1920's), The Gashouse Gang (1934), Dizzy Dean and Joe Medwick (1930's),  Stan "the man" Musial (1941-1963), Red Schoendienst(40's-60's),  Enos Slaughter (1940's), Bob Gibson (1960's), Lou Brock (60's-70's), Joe Torre (1970's and later in the 90's as manager), Ozzie Smith, Whitey Herzog(manager 80's), Darrel Porter, Bob Forsch, Willie McGee, Tommy Herr, Ken Oberkfell, Bruce Sutter, Keith Hernandez (all in the 80's), Mark McGwire(90's), Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, David Eckstein, Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, Darrel Kile,  Matt Holliday, and most recently--Lance Berkmann and the 2011 WS MVP David Freese [a hometown hero](2000's-2010's).  Of course, "TLR", "Don Tony" Tony LaRussa(1990's-2010's).  And last but not least, the long-time voice of the Cardinals, Jack Buck (1954-2001).  Nothing like a warm July night sitting and listening to Jack Buck's voice on KMOX-STL and another Cards win!

     Memories...I remember (vaguely) my first Cardinal game.  I remember seeing Lou Brock running the bases.  I wished I could be like him--he was very fast.  And I was fast too (as a kid.)  I remember seeing Ozzie Smith in the parking garage after a game I had been to.  We were about 10 yards from him and his family.  The 1982 World Series win against the Brewers.  That was exciting!  Taking my son to his first game (a 1-0 pitching duel win against Roger Clemens).  The World Series win in 2006.  And last night's 11th World Series against a very good Texas Rangers team.  

    And that's why I like the Cardinals.  You never know what to expect, but you know it is probably going to be exciting.  When nobody gave them a chance to even make the playoffs this year, they fought and fought to get in after being 10 1/2 games out of the Wild Card in late August.  Then they beat the best team in baseball this year in the Philidelphia Philies.  They followed that up with their newest and best rival of late, the Milwaukee Brewers(the 2nd best NL team this year).  And in the World Series they battled from behind time after time to win 11 in '11.

     To my STL Cardinals....You have given me much excitement, joy and celebration. Thank you for never giving up this year when things looked impossible!

     And one more thing....Albert Pujols, you won't look good in anything but a Cardinal uniform!  This is your hometown, and they love you.  Stay put El Hombre!  #5 

   

Why Go To Church?

"The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord" LSB #644

I just got through listening to Dr. Norman Nagel on Issues Etc.  You can find this in the archives of the Issues Etc. website. http://issuesetc.org/   It is entitled, "Why Go To Church?" 

It got me to thinking about all of the reasons people give for why they do or do not go to church.  So this particular blog posting is going to be a more interactive one.  I would invite all of you to give your reasons for why you go to church, or why you do not.  I expect that I will probably get many of the responses I often hear as a pastor, but I think pastors are much better served when they understand what they are dealing with.  And they understand better what they are dealing with when people are open and honest about things like this issue.

You do not have to respond to this post, it is entirely up to you if you do.  At the very least, I would invite you once again to consider listening to Dr. Nagel's spot on Issues Etc. about this important topic.  I feel there is a whole lot of misunderstanding about this particular aspect of faith in Christ, and it deserves some time spent taking a real hard look at what people are thinking in terms of worshiping God.
Thank you for reading and may the Lord of the Church bring His grace to you in those ways He has chosen to feed you.

Columbus Day

     I decided to post something today about a "holiday" that is not particularly celebrated, or in some cases even observed at all.  Here in South Dakota, it is called "Native American Day" and the schools and all government facilites are shut down.  Does your state, city, or town celebrate this day?  Oh yeah, and our Northern border friends in Canada are celebrating Thanksgiving today.  I think I would rather have a 2nd Thanksgiving!!! (Thank you Wikipedia for the info!)

     Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday. The event is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza in many countries in Latin America, as Discovery Day in the Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional in Spain and as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Uruguay. These holidays have been celebrated unofficially since the late 18th century, and officially in various areas since the early 20th century.

     History

Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and became a federal holiday in 1937. However, people have celebrated Columbus' voyage since the colonial period. In 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of his landing in the New World. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of the event. During the four hundredth anniversary, in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These patriotic rituals were framed around themes such as support for war, citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and celebrating social progress.^[1]
     Non-observance
^{Hawaii, Alaska and South Dakota are the three states that do not recognize Columbus Day at all, though Hawaii and South Dakota mark the day with an alternative holiday or observance. Hawaii celebrates Discoverers' Day, which commemorates the Polynesian discoverers of Hawaii on the same date, the second Monday of October.[13] [14] though the name change has not ended protest related to the observance of Columbus' discovery.[15][16] The state government does not treat either Columbus Day or Discoverers' Day as a legal holiday;[17] state, city and county government offices and schools are open for business. South Dakota celebrates the day as officially a state holiday known as "Native American Day" rather than Columbus Day.[18] Nevada does not celebrate Columbus Day as an official holiday; however, the governor is "authorized and requested" by statute to proclaim the day each year.[19] This probably has less to do with any objection to the celebration of the day than the fact that it's relatively close to Nevada Day, and schools and banks can only be closed for so many days.
Several other states have removed Columbus Day as a paid holiday for government workers while still maintaining it either as a day of recognition or a legal holiday for other purposes. These include California[20][21][22] and Texas.[23]
In 2007, Dane County Wisconsin Supervisor Ashok Kumar replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day.[24] The city of Berkeley, California has replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day since 1992,[25] a move which has been replicated by several other localities.[26] Two other California cities, Sebastopol and Santa Cruz, now celebrate Indigenous People's Day.[26] South Dakota renamed the holiday "Native American Day".[27] Various tribal governments in Oklahoma designate the day "Native American Day", or name the day after their own tribe.}

Parenting and Faith: Part 2

Once again, I apologize for my lack of posting.  Recently I have had multiple responsibilities at church that were above and beyond my usual work.  Thank you for your patience....AGAIN!

Deut. 6:4-7
    "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [5] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

     The way God sees it, parents have a very important responsibility.  A very important "vocation" to use one of Luther's favorite ideas.  And as parents, we are to DILIGENTLY teach God's Words to our children.  Now you are not without HELP in doing this.  The church is ever present to assist parents in teaching your children about Jesus, our Savior.  But the primary responsibility lies with the parents.  For example, in our baptism liturgy, here is the wording that I fear most parents/sponsors do not understand or pay close attention to:  God enable you both to will and to do this faithful and loving work and with His grace fulfill what we are unable to do.  Admittedly, this statement is made to the sponsors, who are to serve the baptismal candidate in the Christian faith.  But again, the primary responsibility for feeding the faith of the child belongs with the parents.
     Look at the verses above from Deuteronomy 6.  Think about all the places and times that God desires for parents to be feeding the faith of their children:  "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." 
     Think about the ways and the times each day that you as parents teach your children about Jesus, and share with them God's Word, or pray with them.  Are they seeing how important it is in your life?  Do they seem to think that it is important?
     I encourage you to reflect on these important verses from Deuteronomy, and also to think about how great an importance God places on following through with His command.
     Something that might help you in thinking about this is to also read Matthew 28:19-20. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
     Thank you for reading, and remember that God is with you always, and will help you to teach your children about Jesus and share God's Word with them!