Signing Off

I’m far enough down my road to retiring as president of Wheat Ridge Ministries that almost daily I’m confronted with reminders that my years of service are coming to an end – final meetings with board and staff, office routines, last conversations with donors, travelling to a few last program sites, etc., etc. This installment of “Rick’s Reflections” now qualifies for this list. By my count, this is reflection number 119! I’ve been writing these for such a long time that what started 10 years ago as monthly “articles” are now known as “blog posts.” One hundred and nineteen is also the number of times that my good friend and colleague, Anne Schoenherr, our talented Director of Communications, has had to remind me in her gentle (and occasionally not so gentle) way of the monthly publication deadline! 

There’s music in my head during my final days as president of Wheat Ridge, too. I wish I could tell you that it’s a hymn verse or some other sacred or significant composition. It’s not. If you are an aging cartoon buff, you likely enjoyed the adventures of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang as a kid. If you’re old enough, perhaps you remember the theme music from these cartoons. At the end of each show, the music leads to sign off That’s All Folks!! spoken by Bugs or sometimes by other characters. How sad it was to hear these words knowing that 30 minutes of fun and laughter with these wacky characters had come to an end.  

Of course, I am already experiencing some inevitable sadness as I prepare to “sign-off” after 23 wonderful years as a member of the Wheat Ridge Ministries team. I will miss working alongside my colleagues and friends on the staff and board of directors. I’ll miss the regular opportunities to visit with the generous friends and supporters of our ministry. And I’ll miss the joy of talking with inspired leaders and visiting the new ministries Wheat Ridge helped seed. It’s been quite a ride!

While there’s no denying some sadness during this time of transition, I’m also looking forward with considerable joy that’s captured well by this revised version of Bugs’ sign-off: That’s NOT All Folks!! It’s certainly not all for Wheat Ridge Ministries. By God’s grace, a great new leader will be joining the Wheat Ridge team as president in the person of Mr. Paul Miles. He is a gifted leader and churchman! Paul and our dedicated staff, guided and cared for by our wise and talented board of directors, will continue to creatively grow the impact of Wheat Ridge in pursuit of a vision that increasing numbers of individuals around the world experience health and hope in Christ’s name. This will be possible because of the continuing generosity and encouragement of the large host of friends and donors like you who understand the importance of seeding new ministries and who provide the resources needed for this to happen. 

God willing, That’s NOT All, Folks!! will also be a good description of the next phase of my life. While I’ll always look to do whatever I can to further the mission of Wheat Ridge, I also look forward to experiencing some new ways to serve. I hope to pay forward the blessings of remarkable opportunities and learning experiences from which I have benefitted during the past 41 years of service to the church. And, of course, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife, Deb, and being helpful as she continues her outstanding career as an artist and teacher.  

I look forward to staying in touch with you, the readers of these reflections over the years, in whatever ways God’s plans make possible, as we continue to move through the transitions of life. Thank you, again, for reading these reflections throughout the years, for praying for the ministry of Wheat Ridge, and for allowing me the privilege of serving as a leader of our ministry. What a blessing we all have to look forward to a future together on earth, and eventually in heaven, made possible by our loving Christ who cries loud and clear from the cross and the empty tomb to each of us and to all God’s children, That’s NOT All, Folks!!

Senseless Violence – Endless Hope

As I write this, I’m still trying to comprehend the recent terrifying news out of Aurora, Colorado, about the gunman who killed 12 people and wounded another 58 in a movie theatre. What is it that compels a person to cause such harm to innocent people? Is this person beyond our care and compassion based on the terrible acts committed? What must it have been like to be sitting in a darkened theatre when this man started shooting? How much harm has been done through this act to the community that still grieves the terrible loss of young lives from the Columbine massacre that happened just a few miles away?

Unfortunately, the loss of life by violence is not limited to crazed gunmen. In Chicago, so far this year, over 300 people have been killed through gang-related violence. And, of course, domestic violence continues to impact the lives of so many, especially women and children. We don’t need to look to places like Syria and Afghanistan to see or experience the horrible results of violence; it is abundantly evident every day here in the United States.

Listening to interviews with people after tragedies, I’m totally puzzled by the logic of those who advocate for violent measures to stop violence. Several people who called into a radio talk show in Chicago the day after the shootings suggested that if only Colorado had a less restrictive concealed weapons law, more people in the theatre would have had guns and the man who started the shooting could have been stopped by a bullet. How would gun crossfire in a crowded theatre have decreased the loss of life and injury? In Chicago, a letter to the editor of one of the major newspapers proposed that the city hire military vets, arm them, and put them on the streets of Chicago with orders to shoot on sight any gang members they see.

I don’t mean to make light of these reactions. We are afraid of the violence we experience and see around us. We see it amplified by the media, glorified in movies, and we end up petrified as we live our lives. These situations bring us face to face with the reality of how fragile life can be.

Of course, God’s vision for our world and our lives is most certainly not this. Fortunately, God’s message of life – health and hope made possible in Christ – is proclaimed and inspires people to share the Good News in word and deed and make an impact by serving others. So, as I try to comprehend the reality of violence in our world, I’m also filled with hope as I see the church in action through people addressing issues to prevent violence so that the norm becomes love, honor and care for their neighbors as unique members of God’s creation. The Wheat Ridge community is regularly blessed by the opportunity to help seed some of these efforts. Among those that come to mind today are …

• The McClintock Partnership in Charlotte, North Carolina, that engages large numbers of volunteers from Christ Lutheran Church to serve at-risk students and their parents in an under-resourced public middle school;

• The Initiative Against Bullying and Violence at Concordia Lutheran Church in Chicago;

• The HOPE Schools and St. Marcus Lutheran School, where inspired teachers transform lives and bring hope to children and teens in inner-city Milwaukee through high-quality education;

• The S.H.A.P.E. Center in Detroit, established by Immanuel Lutheran Church, to provide wellness programs for inner city youth;

• The Pailalen Parental Training to Prevent Violence Program developed by Lutheran Child and Family Service of Michigan to help parents learn skills that can prevent violence by their children against self, family and others;

• The Domestic Violence Survivor’s Project, led by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon;

• The Living Room at Redeemer Center for Life in Minneapolis, that provides a safe place for individuals, youth and families in an underserved community to gather and to receive assistance.

Please join me in praying for leaders of these efforts and those they serve even as we ask the Lord to help us all be more effective as individuals and as the church to end the scourge of violence in our homes and communities.

“I came that you might have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10