MY PRESIDENT

I didn’t vote for President Obama. I am in significant disagreement with many of the positions that he holds on several issues. One that is prominent in my mind today is his position on abortion. I am hoping that he does not make abortion more accessible. There are other foundational positions that I am concerned about, but I must say that I do sense a positive emotional upturn in our country.

As I watched the inauguration, via video, I was genuinely moved. And as I have mentioned before, I am proud to be an American. It is an incredible thing to witness again the peaceful transfer of power. I couldn’t help but notice the feeling of excitement and anticipation in our national psyche. I couldn’t help but notice the sense of unity among many people of varying races, backgrounds, faiths, and dreams. I couldn’t help but notice an audaciousness of hope. And hope is good for us.

Can President Obama fulfill these expectations and hopes? I don’t know, but I sure hope so. The weight is now on him and he will be called on to produce. As people of faith we get some choices to make at this moment. We can support, encourage, and guide him or we can be a part of the chorus of people who will seek to break him down. We should disagree on issues when we must, but we can do all of our disagreeing by speaking the truth in love.

Finally, we can pray for our President. For those of us who are people of the Word – prayer for our leaders is a command.

“Father, in the name of Jesus Christ I ask you to bless President Obama. Bless his wife and children. Protect them and give them divine wisdom as they are a part of the leadership of this nation. Help us to be a people who bring you honor and praise. Amen.”

A partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

Martin Luther King Jr and a dream

When I was in junior high school we were asked to name someone we would like to be like. I didn’t know a lot about him but I said, “Martin Luther King, Jr.” My teacher asked me if I knew he was black. My response was, “yes, can't I pick him?” I am not sure what was meant by the question. I don't want to read more into it than was meant. But I wonder if she thought I should have picked someone “more like me?” I chose him at that moment of my life because he was a man that struck me as passionate, committed, and willing to live out what he believed. And ultimately, to give it all for what he believed. He was a man who was striving for a dream. I like that.

I can’t say that I understand all the facets of the dream that he had. I don’t fully understand the racial struggle that we have in our country, but I do believe that it is worth striving to be a people who judge not by the "color of the skin but by the content of character."That is what attracted me to Martin Luther King, Jr. It was what I knew of his character. I believe that if we want to be a people, a nation, that does not judge by skin color we will have to be a people who strive to be men and woman of character. And to be a people where character does matter.

As we strive to be men and woman of character, the young people who come behind us will have more role models. They will have role models of character rather than merely skin color.

Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

One more additional comment:
In the next few hours we will have a new President of the United States of America. He is black. Regardless of my political position, I am proud that skin color did not keep him from being our President. And I pray that he and his family would be blessed by our Lord!

I have been rereading Brother Lawrence’s classic book: Practicing the Presence of God. And partially because of that book I am seeking to be more attentive and aware of the presence of God in my life. And I am inviting those at HOPE, the church that I pastor, to participate in this discipline with me. We are calling it the 1,3, 10 Practice. The Practice is like this:

1 – Go on a God Hunt each day and find look for the evidence of His working in you, through you, or around you each day and then to tell someone about how you noticed Him.
3 – At least 3 times a day acknowledge God’s presence with you. The added benefit is that as we acknowledge His presence we will also be reminding ourselves to be more attentive and aware.
10 – For 10 minutes each day give yourself to being specifically attentive God through a time of personal devotion. This is a 10 minute commitment to prayer, silence, listening, reading or whatever helps you be specifically attentive to Him.

Now here is the kicker. I have struggled with this the last few days. It seems like I am struggling with it more than normal. But it shouldn’t surprise me! The Enemy does not want me to do is to be aware and attentive to the presence of God. Further, the Enemy does not want me living in the specific presence of God communicating with Him and living with Him. The Enemy does not want me Emmanuel-ing. And so, it seems, that he has specifically kicked up the attack. My attitude has been ugly, my schedule busy, blah blah blah.

The big question is am I going to let the enemy keep me sidelined? NOPE!

Hey, if you are seeking to grow spiritually and taking steps to make that happen...don’t be surprised if the enemy seeks to thwart your efforts. But remember: “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

WHITE OUT? The Broom Says It All...

The energy was intense, the crowd engaged, and the Sioux dominated the ice. The Sioux played and the white out left the gophers looking for a place to hide.

Friday nights score: Sioux 6 and the U of M 3
Saturday nights score: Sioux 6 and the U of M 1

I am confident that the Gophers are a better team than it seemed, but it was wonderful to see the Sioux playing at the level that they played this weekend. This is the first sweep of the Gophers since 2003.

Tomorrow -- worship of the King of Kings!
Pastor Paul

WHITE OUT IN GRAND FORKS - UND

It was intense, a bit daunting, and just plain not safe to be in that environment. It was about 18 years ago, while driving, that I experienced my first “white out.” I couldn’t see the front of my car in the midst of the pervasiveness of the white. My son vomited in the back seat because of the swirling. After a while he didn’t even dare look. Bonnie and I watched the lines on the road to make sure we didn’t lose our way. We were all experiencing the Force of the North.

Tonight, Grand Forks is expecting another white out! We are excited about it and working to make it happen! It will be an environment swirling in power and intensity. The University of Minnesota, the Gophers (RODENTS THAT DWELL IN HOLES IN THE GROUND) will be making an appearance at the University of North Dakota: Home of the Fighting Sioux. The crowd will be dressed in white and our hockey team is expected to drive the rodents into a hole in the ice.

They will experience the Force of the North!

If UND sweeps, which I fully expect, our worship director (who woefully holds onto his Gopher fan -i-ness) will be wearing a University of North Dakota jersey for the morning (except during worship – we don’t want to get too out of balance : ).



a partner in the gospel (and hockey fan)
Paul Knight

P.S. Hope people will gather at Mike's Pizza in EGF after the game (in the lower level). Sorrowful gopher fans from Hope are welcome too -- Unity in the essentials, freedom in the non-essentials, and love in all things!

God Hunt -- Emmanueling

Far too often I find myself living my days unaware and inattentive to the reality that God is present with me. The message of the New Testament is full of the teachings of Emmanuel, God with us. Far too often I find myself not even thinking or looking for His activity. I want to change that. I want to be aware. I want to be more attentive.

The message of the New Testament is that God is active and working. Emmanuel, God with us, is just as true today for the follower of Christ as it was 2,000 years ago. Dare I say that in many ways Christ is more present today than He was then? Now He dwells within us! If attentive, I shouldn’t have to look too hard to see or sense His work.

Several years ago our church participated in an exercise called a God Hunt (I think I first heard of it from author David Mains). The exercise was to hunt for God’s activity on a daily basis. Maybe it would be through creation, the words of a friend, a conviction, a song, a hurt, and through innumerable other ways. The point was to seek to be aware and attentive. Then when we noticed God’s activity in and around us, we were to tell someone; a friend, spouse, or your small group. I have encouraged the church that I pastor to intentionally be on a God Hunt each day for the next month. I am looking forward to how this is going to heighten the awareness and prayerfully the attentiveness of our church to God’s activity.

I am personally looking forward this active discipline of looking for God’s activity. I know that it is not grammatically correct, but I am calling this heightened attentiveness and awareness emmanueling. Emmanueling is my way of describing my attentiveness and awareness to His being with me.

I would like you to invite you to go on this God Hunt with us. To participate with us in emmanueling and to give testimony to His work in your life.

So let me ask, how have you noticed God today working in your life?
Encourage us all with your story of His work by commenting in this blog.

Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul