Silent Hero

My daughter wrote the most beautiful tribute tonight to our nation's soldiers. It is so amazing that I had to share it with you all.

Silent Hero

By Breanna Schulenburg

In ten seconds you're a military man

In eight seconds more you're a kid's number one fan

Then just a minute later you're fighting left and right

And there's no time to think about your personal plight

When the guy next to you falls down

And there's no one else around

You slowly take a stand

For your life and this man's

Then one hour later

You just want to go on home

But your duty is calling

And you fell so all alone

The ground that you walk on

Seems to sink under your feet

And you're following orders

Even when you're tired and beat

But you're doing your duty in the darkness of the night

And even when you're lonely

You won't give up your fight

And you stand up

For liberty and justice

You take the fall

And for one nation under God

You risk it all

And then a couple years later

When the war is over and done

All that's left are stories of the battles you fought in and won

And then two seconds later

Duty calls again

And then you lay it all on the line

To be your country's friend

A secret silent hero

That few might know about

But in the end you show them

What courage is about

Wanna See Something Really Cool?

Check out this post on my sister's blog http://comethirstytogod.blogspot.com/2006/02/written-in-sky.html.

The Five Fingered Prayer

I saw this on someone else's blog and cut and paste it here. It's really kind of cool.

Five Finger Prayer
Written by Laura Welch

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers bypraying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S.Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includesteachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively."

Myspace Alternative

I was on my sister's blog today and noticed that she had joined an alternative to myspace. It's called www.mypraize.com, and doesn't have a lot of the objectionable stuff that sometimes comes with myspace. It's worth checking out. I was actually pretty impressed with what I saw.

Google Picture Post

So, I've been home sick for the past few days, and I'm getting a bit stir crazy. I ran across another person's blog where they did a Google Picture Post. I thought I'd give it a try. If you want to do the same thing, go to Google and do a Google picture seach on the following things. See what you come up with.

1. The City and State you grew up in, no quotation marks.












2. The City and State you now live in, no quotation marks.











3. Your name, first and last, no quotation marks.





4. Your Grandfather's name, first and last, no quotation marks.





5. Your favorite food.












6. Your favorite scent.






7. Your favorite vacation spot.















8. Where you vacationed growing up.












9. Favorite Sports Team










10. The college you attended.


















11. Favorite activity to do with your kids.















12. Another Grandparent's Name, First and Last, no quotation marks.







13. Favorite Drink.























14. Favorite Motion Picture




















15. Favorite Mode of Transportation

Two Amazing Stories

This week I ran across two amazing stories of high school athletes who have faught agianst tremendous odds to accomplish great things. Their stories are so inspiring that I felt compelled to put them on this blog. The first is the story of Jason McElwain. Jason is a young man who happens to be autistic. He has been the water boy and team manager for his high school's basketball team for the past couple of years. This week he got to play in his first and only basketball game. You won't believe what happened when he came in with four minutes left to play. Go to this link, and check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBYPaNc57Ik&search=autistic%20basketball%20playe.

The second story comes from ESPN.com's web site. It's the story of A.J. Detwiler, a star high school wrestler from Pennsylvania. A.J. has a real chance to become the state champion at his weight class. But, A.J. lives with pain every day. Not pain from wrestling, but pain from the loss of a mother and a father. You see, last summer, A.J.'s dad murdered his mother, then A.J.'s younger brother shot and killed his dad in an act of self defense. This is one tear jerking story, but a beautiful example of forgiveness. Check it out right here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=santoliquito/060222.

Go Paris!

Okay, so I'm not the biggest American Idol fan in the world. But, I am excited, because Paris Bennett, one of the students that I had when I guest taught at Edina High School is one of the final 24 contestants on this season's edition of the show. You can see her interview tape for American Idol right here: http://www.idolonfox.com/videos/?vid=166. Paris is one of the sweetest students that I ever taught. Every time I would walk into Edina High School and she would see me, she'd run up to me, ask how things were going, and tell me about the latest play that she was in, movie that she was into, or about her singing. She is a sweetheart.

What's The Deal With . . .

Zondervan sent me a contract today for my second book. It will be called What's The Deal With . . . and it focuses on the top 500 theological questions that students are asking today. The first half of the book is the story of Pizza and God Talk. It will be released in August of 2007.

You can now pre-order my first book Choose Your Top 3 at Amazon.com by following this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310267463/qid=1140066508/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-7827834-5462237?s=books&v=glance&n=283155.

Solomon's Porch on Front Page of Star Tribune

Solomon's Porch Chuch and Pastor Doug Pagitt are featured on the front page of the Minneapolis Star Tribune today. The article is entitled Young, Hip Reverent - Emerging Churches, Emphasizing Small Worship Groups, Have Struck a Chord With Young Christians. It's a fascinating read about the emerging church. You can read a copy of the story by following this link: http://www.startribune.com/614/story/235020.html. Doug Pagitt, used to be the Senior High Pastor at Wooddale. I taught his daughter Michon at Edina High School today. After class, Michon, Kara Doten, the daughter of Brian Doten, who preceded Doug as Senior High Pastor at Wooddale, and myself had lunch. It was this special bond of three families who have all shared in the lives of Wooddale Senior Highers. We had a delightful time.

A Christian Response to Global Warming

Leith Anderson, Wooddale's Senior Pastor has been in the news a couple of times this week on the issue of Christian Environmentalism, particularly in the area of global warming. I think this is an important issue for Christians to take a look at and am proud of the stance that Leith, and several Christian leaders have taken on the topic. You can watch Leith's appearance on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams by following this link:
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=218269a9-9218-43a7-ac95-07d06c709474&f=00. You can read about and listen to an interview with Leith on Public Radio by following this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5194527.

What A Day!

It's 11:06 p.m. and I'm sitting here in a bit of a daze. I can't believe the events that I have been a part of today. It was about 30 minutes ago that I pulled into my driveway after a fourteen hour work day. The day has brought a wide range of emotions -- from stress to delight; from inadequacy to euphoria; from passion to discouragement: it's all been there.

I was Wooddale's pastor on call today. I really do love these days. When you are pastor on call, you respond to any phone call, drop-in visit, or crisis that may emerge throughout the day. Today, a woman came into the building who had never been to Wooddale. She had been through a major crisis in the past month, and didn't know why, but felt drawn to the building. After spending about an hour with this woman, and going through many pieces of tissue, God got through. After ten years of running from God, this woman accepted Christ. Her story was heartbreaking, and she has much ahead of her, but she is His. She'll someday reach the spot where she never has to go through pain again. She'll be spending eternity with Jesus, and God let me be a part of that process!

A few minutes after this woman left, my friend and fellow youth pastor, Heather, found out that her Dad had been diagnosed with cancer. I hurt for Heather. She loves her Dad. He is one of her heroes. She has spent many hours with him on the road in his semi. She even had a chance to spend time with him on a sabbatical last year. Three other pastors and I prayed with Heather in her office. Heather's family will meet with a doctor on Friday to discuss the prognosis.

This evening was our second week in our Sex In The Suburbs series at The Garage. I spoke passionately on The Naked Truth About Sex. When the lesson ended I talked with several students about their personal battles in this area. It was tough to listen to them, and my heart broke for so many who are struggling in this area.

The night ended with Pizza and God Talk, our ministry to students where they can ask any question they want about God, the Bible, religion, etc. I spoke to a lot of students about a lot of tought things. I was reminded once again of how tough it is to grow up today.

I'm home now. I've snuck a look at each of my kids. I've prayed for them as they sleep. I wonder what their struggles will be like. I pray that they will be spared a lot of the pain that I've heard about tonight. And, I'm reminded of the lyrics from an old Michael W. Smith song that say, "Into Every Life A Little Rain Must Fall."

Lord, I won't always be there to protect my children. I can't shield them from everything that will happen in their life. They will be hurt. Sometimes, I'll be the one that says something, or doesn't say something, or looks the wrong way, or works too much, or . . . or . . . or. Thank You that You will never fail them. If . . . no, when . . . they feel like running from you, pursue them. Run after them. May they always know that You love them, that I love them, that Cyndi loves them. May they see Your love reflected in us. And, when the rain falls, bring the rainbow. Bring the rainbow. Amen.

Dana Jorgensen, Jason Barthelemy and Snow

A lot of people have been asking me about who our musician for Snow Camp is. His name is Dana Jorgensen, and you can visit his web site at www.danalive.com. He's got some great songs on his site that you can download for 99 cents a piece. We're looking forward to having him with us all the way from Nashville, TN this weekend.

On that note, please be in prayer for Snow Camp. This is always an amazing event. Our Senior Class plans Snow Camp every year. This year's camp is built around the theme of "Woodstock." It's kind of far fetched, but the idea is that Woodstock was a three day festival where people came together for music. We're coming together for three days of experiencing God together. Jason Barthelemy, a youth pastor from Iowa who used to be on staff at Wooddale will be our guest speaker. His sessions look awesome. We can't wait to see how God uses the weekend. We'll have about 130 people with us for the weekend.

Super Bowl Outreach

Thank you to all of you who helped with the Super Bowl Outreach this weekend. The Holy Spirit worked and 16 students became Christians last night. What an exciting night! Please be praying for these new Christ followers as they begin their walk with Him.

I can't tell you how awesome it was to read through the cards of each student who came to faith and read about the friends that brought them. I am so proud of our students for taking a risk and inviting their friends to this life changing event.

Did You Catch Bono At The National Prayer Breakfast?

Bono addressed the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. last week. You need to watch this video: http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/us/2006/02/02/bono.speaks.cnn&wm=native_mac. If you haven't seen it yet, set aside 20 minutes to watch this. It is well worth your time. God is doing some amazing things around the world, but there is still such a huge need for more to be done.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Matthew 25:31-46

End of the Spear

Have you seen End of the Spear yet? You don't want to miss this movie. It's showing at movie theaters all over the Twin Cities and is the story of Steve Saint, son of martyred missionary Nate Saint. Imagine, being a missionary's kid, watching your dad fly off one day to minister to a tribe of people known as the most violent people on the face of the earth. You dad never comes back because he and four other missionaries have been killed. Then imagine going back and living with the tribe that killed your father. You befriend the man who killed your father. That is radicall love. That is the story. You can view the trailer at www.endofthespear.com.

Off to Central America

I'm heading out to Central America tomorrow with three leaders from our Operation Guatemala/El Salvador team. This is our scouting trip for the 2006 trip that takes place June 11-25, 2006. It looks like we'll have a large team with 52 people signed up to go so far.

This prep trip is always such an exciting time as we meet with pastors, missionaries, and church members in a variety of settings. The days of this next week will be long, often times working up to 18 hours a day. We leave for the airport at 3:45 a.m. and arrive in Guatemala City at about 1:00 p.m. From there, we'll drive four hours to a ministry location, where we'll meet with pastors to talk about how the OGES team can assist their church in accomplishing their purposes.

Going into this prep trip, we're already sure that we'll be working in the communities of Campur, in the rainforest region of Guatemala, and San Marcos, on the western side of the country, high up in the mountains. On this trip we'll be scouting two new possible ministry locations. One of those spots is in El Salvador, and another is in Honduras. This will be my first trip ever to the country of Honduras. I'm excited to see what is happening in this country.

I'd appreciate your prayers as we seek God's wisdon and discernment for which communties we should minister in this summer. Pray for our missionary, Jaime Lopez, who will be driving us over 1000 miles in the five days we are in Central America, interpreting for us in our communication with nationals, and giving us his input on where the needs are highest.

Drop Dead Sledfest

The Drop Dead Sledfest scheduled for today has now become the Drop Dead Pizza Party due to the lack of snow at Staring Lake Park. We're still meeting at Greta's house from 6:30-9:00 for pizza, music, and more. Don't miss it! If you need directions to Greta's you can e-mail me at brian.schulenburg@wooddale.org.

Super Bowl Outreach

Wooddale Senior High is going to host the mother of all Super Bowl Parties on Sunday, February 5. Our hope is to have over 200 students, most of them not Wooddalers. We're praying that the party, which is designed to be evangelisitic, will draw dozens to faith in Christ. Tony Dungy, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, who tragically lost his son earlier this year, will be our halftime speaker. His talk was recorded prior to his son's death and will be shown on a powerful video. You can order a Super Bowl Outreach kit for your home, church, or youth ministry at: http://www.sportsspectrum.com/powertowin.

We're going to be giving out a ton of incredible prizes at our party, in hopes of seeing students who might spend the night somewhere else, spending with us. Prizes include an X-BOX 360, a video Ipod, Spa Gift Certificate, Portable DVD Player, AMC Movie Gift Cards, CD's, Movie Passes, and more.

The room will be divided into two sections, representing each team playing in the game. Bleachers will be set up for the hard core fans in front of the two giant screens that are displayig the game. And, we'll have between 500-750 hot dogs, nachos, pop, cookies, and more. If you a high school student in the Twin Cities, don't miss this party. It's going to be in stinkin' credible.

Jesus and The Da Vinci Code

We're talking about Jesus and The Da Vinci Code tonight at The Garage. I'll be using a sermon that John Ortberg preached on the subject a couple years ago as my base for the lesson. I don't normally do that, but this sermon is so good. If you're struggling with issues about the Christian faith in the Dan Brown's book, I'd recommend you read this sermon by Ortberg. You can find it at: http://www.mppc.org/e_sermons/esermon_2003/dec_03/12_7_03.html.

Significant Conference for Evangelical Free Church Starts Today

I'm ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Free Church of America. The church I presently serves is not a Free Church, so as part of my requirements to keep my ordination active, I am required to attend a Free Church conference every other year. I'll be going to the Evangelical Free Church Midwinter Ministerial over the next three days. It's nice because it takes place really close to my home, at South Suburban Free Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

This conference is very significant for the denomination. We are taking a look at the Evangelical Free Church Doctrinal Statement, a statement which has not been updated in years, and refreshing it. That word may sound scary to some, but it is really quite interesting. The most significant change comes in the area of eschatology. If you're interested, you can check out information on the conference at: http://www.efca.org/pastoralcare/media/2006_Midwinter_brochure.pdf.