On April 29 of this year I had the distinct honor and privilege of being the guest preacher at the Friday evening service of the United Jewish Center in Danbury. Several folks from Wellspring joined Debbie and me for that evening of worship and fellowship. It was so great to see the two congregations interacting with one another.

I also had the joy that evening of presenting Rabbi Cliff Librach a check for over $1500--a gift offering from the Wellspring congregation to bless UJC. That gift was received with gratitude and joy.

Now they are giving that gift away!

That's right. Rabbi Cliff informed me that the board of UJC has moved to donate the funds to a center for orphaned youth in Israel. They deemed our gift to be a holy offering and did not want to use it on their own budget. So on June 29 Rabbi Cliff and his wife Miriam will present the offering to the Yemin Orde Wingate Youth Village as a joint gift from Wellspring and UJC.

I am sharing this news with you by way of reporting and because I think it is a very exciting development. An offering, jointly given by an evangelical church and a Reformed synagogue to bless Israel makes a powerful statement. The Apostle Paul invested great effort during his ministry to raise an offering from the Gentile congregations he had planted to bless the needy in Jerusalem. (cf I Corinthians 16: 1-4; II Corinthians 8,9) He saw this as both practical outreach and as a prophetically symbolic act of God uniting Jew and Gentile believers in Messiah.

So where is this journey with Rabbi Cliff and his congregation going? Short answer--only God knows.

I don't say that facetiously. I do have a deep sense that God is up to something in this personal friendship being forged with Rabbi Cliff. And I believe he is up to something in building bridges between the two congregations. I can't begin to predict, however, how these relationships will proceed. But for the time being I am enjoying the journey and seeking to stay open to God's surprises.

And some orphaned children in Israel are being blessed. God be praised!

Pastor Rick

My dad and I took each other to lunch today. I drove and steered him toward the table. He pulled out a $10 bill, sure that would cover the tab. Like most things these days, his calculation is a bit short of present day reality.

My father has dementia--bad. It is getting worse. Sadness is what I feel most these days on this visit from Connecticut to a familiar territory that I still call home.

So we went to lunch at the local Skyline Chili. Skyline is an institution in Cincinnati and surrounding environs. Skyline is a spicy, sweet chili sauce spread over spaghetti noodles and laden with finely grated cheddar cheese. That is "3-Way." "4-Way" adds onions; "5-Way" adds onions and red kidney beans. If you grew up around Cincinnati, like I did, you were probably weaned off the breast straight onto Skyline chili. My standard order is a "3-Way" and a cheese coney--that is a steamed hot dog with chili sauce and lots of grated cheese.

So we went to Skyline for lunch and to share a meaningful activity when talk is difficult because my father hardly remembers anything to talk about these days.

Skyline is "The Official Chili of the Cincinnati Reds." Another point of memory and contact--the Reds. My earliest memories include listening to Reds' games on radio as the family drove in the car. Wearing a Reds' uniform, made for me by my grandmother. Leafing through a scrapbook my dad put together of the 1939 and 1940 pennant-winning Reds' teams when he was a boy. Going with my dad to Crosley Field to see the Reds play. Trying to pronounce the surname of the great Ted Klusewski, # 18, my first favorite player for the home-town team.

My dad is not big on emotions; not big on communicating feelings; not big on 'sharing' his inner thoughts. He grew up in a time when people didn't have "inner thoughts." So the Reds have been the main connect point with my dad for over fifty years. The Reds are my main connect point to so many things related to home; family; growing up. My oldest son was born just outside Cincinnati on October 16, 1976. Later that day the Reds shut out the hated New York Yankees in the first game of the World Series. Today that son, and his younger brother and my grandson all bleed Cincinnati Red, though they live hundreds of miles away from my hometown along the Ohio River.

Its crazy--I know.

So today we are sitting in Skyline and the waitress comes to take our order and she teases my dad, "Looks like Trouble's here!" It was just like he has teased her countless times over recent years. But he doesn't recognize her; it even took him a while to recognize Debbie, my wife of 38 years, when we arrived here a couple days ago. But he did recognize the "3-Way" when it was set before him. Some things are etched indelibly on one's senses.

On the television screens in the chili parlor they were playing a replay of last night's Reds game. The Reds won--that always brightens the mood of the local populace. I had been at the game last night, seated nine rows behind the Reds' dugout. Had been there for two dramatic late inning home runs to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Like thousands of other fans I stood during the last batter for the opposition and cheered the final out, celebrating along with the fireworks that mark every home win.

But today at Skyline I was not celebrating. Trouble is indeed here for my dad; his mind is just not working. And I found out today what "3-Way" tastes like when washed down with tears.

I drove into Ohio yesterday about noon--May 31, 2011; Memorial Day; the day a good man resigned under a cloud of scandal. Jim Tressel resigned as head football coach of The Ohio State University.

It is a sad day. A decent man and a man of principle resigned looking like every other cheat and slick-talking major college football and basketball coach. He had to resign; he deserved to resign. He violated NCAA rules in covering up rules violations by his players. The national media have made him out to be a fraud, a hypocritical pretender of righteousness in a tie and sweater vest. Fans of other programs will believe the national media.

The reality is much closer to a much less cynical reality. A good man believed too much in his ability to steer marginal-character young athletes in the right direction and was tripped up by his own over-confidence. Then he covered up some of their rules violations. Over-confidence in one's own goodness is another way of describing a subtle form of pride. The Bible says pride goes before a fall.

No excuses from this fan and admirer. Only sadness. It is a shame.

So--God, please bless and restore Jim Tressel. And, Go Bucks!

The United States has come to a critical crossroads.

Throughout our history our nation has been the best ally/friend the Jewish people have ever had. We have welcomed Jews from all nations and in all expressions of Judaism--from ultra-orthodox to secular Jews. We were one of the first nations to recognize the state of Israel in 1948 when President Truman took the morally courageous step to do so.

Genesis 12:3 promises that those who bless Abraham's descendants will be blessed. This is a foundational promise of God in his initiation of redemption to all the world through Abraham's faith. This is a promise that is still in effect and one that God still watches over.

Currently there is a global propaganda campaign to de-legitimize the Jewish state of Israel by historical falsehoods and by accusations of apartheid against the Palestinian people. Our current President has sought to reverse US policy by calling for a return the the borders of Israel in 1967, before they were attacked without provocation by three Arab nations on three fronts. Israel won that Six Days War and consequently held land won in a war of aggression they did not start. This land, the West Bank and Gaza, gave Israel defensible borders in a very hostile environment of nations pledged to push the Jews of Israel into the sea.

Earlier this week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of our Congress and detailed the special relationship the United States has had with Israel since its inception. In a written press release to accompany the speech Mr. Netanyahu also recounts how the Jewish state came into existence from the early days of Zionistic hope until the present day. It is a release you can read in full here by clicking this link:

http://wellspring.net/sites/default/files/Netanyahu_speech_20110523.pdf

I am very concerned that the United States not reverse its friendship and support with Israel at this critical hour of turmoil in the Middle East. I believe that the blessing of God upon this land has been linked, in part, to our historical friendship to the Jewish people. To desert them in this critical hour would be disastrous.

I have travelled in Israel twice now in the past 18 months. I certainly am no expert on the Middle East. But I do know that the Palestinian Arabs living inside of Israel proper have more freedoms and opportunities and more economic viability than Arabs anywhere in the Middle East. I know that Arabs living inside of Israel have citizenship, civil rights, can vote, can serve in the Knesset. I know that Arab villages in Israel proper are much more prosperous and safe than those villages and cities in the West Bank that is now under the Palestinian Authority. I know that Gaza, recently given over to the PA, has becoming a refugee camp and a massive munitions site for weapons that pour in from the Arab world to attack Israel.

I also know that the Israeli state and government is not perfect by a long shot. I know that there is considerable fear and resentments in both Jewish and Palestinian populations. I know that the current state of Israel is mostly secular and not the godly, renewed Israel we pray for and long to see. But I also know that every time Israel trades land for peace they get more aggression and insecurity.

And I know the God of all the earth promises to bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants.

Pastor Rick