Motivation

            This morning I got up to weigh myself before getting on with my exercise. Having a goal of dropping some weight is not uncommon at this time of year and I’m certainly in that crowd. Much to my pleasant surprise, I saw that even after watching the Super Bowl, with the attendant snacks and beverages, I’d lost weight over the weekend. All right!

            That being the case I set a personal best in my workout. I’d have to credit that to motivation. I’m seeing success in what Jami and I are hoping is a change in lifestyle (vis-à-vis eating), and it encourages me in the other things that I’m doing.

            A great deal of St. Paul’s purpose in writing to the Romans was to get them motivated. He was going to need their help and support as he planned to reach further east in his missionary travels. And how was he going to motivate them? He was simply going to share God’s Word with them.

            Romans is not necessarily a compendium of Christian Doctrine, but I don’t know of any other book that would come closer to it. St. Paul convicts us of our need for a Savior: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. He spells out the dire situation in which sin leaves us: “the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23. And he then assures us of God’s gracious plan to redeem us “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1.

            Simply being in God’s Word will help you live each day as His dearly loved child. Get into it. And then, get on with it!

Memories of an enriching experience

            Yesterday was, in part, a trip to the past. I received my recertification to be a chaplain to Peoria first-responders (police, fire-fighters, and coroner’s office). It was a trip to the past because for most of my life as a parish pastor in Fort Collins, CO, I also served the Police Services there as one of their seventeen volunteer chaplains.

            But while it was mostly very familiar territory there have been some tremendous innovations over the past seventeen years. They are centered largely in the assessment and care of those people who are willing to enter into harm’s way in order for us to be safe in our community. 

            It started my mind recalling things that happened when I was on call. I’ll hope to share a bit more about this avenue of ministry in the next month’s Connection magazine.

Congratulations, Chase!

Today there is another generation of our family serving as a called worker in the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. To the best of my knowledge, he is the first in this generation of both the Zagel and Winter clans.

Having finished his colloquy program our son, Chase, is now a commissioned minister of religion, teaching language arts for Concordia Lutheran High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Congratulations, Chase Winter, on your installation this morning!