Michael Martin Murphey Concert

 

We had such a fun time recently! Mike and I went to Red River, NM to attend a Michael Martin Murphey Concert and it was great! He sings at the Rocking 3M Chuckwagon 2 nights a week every July and August. His warm-up singer was Carin Mari; she was also a very talented songwriter and singer.

The venue is beautiful. It is on private property a few miles out of Red River, in the mountains by a pond. We were first fed a nice meal under a big tent structure. Even with the show being sold out, it was still a small, intimate setting. We were in the 2nd row, right in the middle. Perfect!

Let me back up a bit...like over 50 years. My brother was a fan of Michael Murphey (back then he didn't use his middle name). Through exposure to the music my brother played, I also became a fan. I loved "Wildfire" and "Carolina in the Pines". Since then, he has just kept cranking out great songs.

Over 30 years ago, Mike and I took Maria and Ben along the first time we heard him in concert. It was at the fairgrounds in Lewistown, MT. Ben, age 4 at the time, heard that Michael was giving autographs afterward. I didn't want to wait, as many were crowding around, but for Ben, I did it. It was just a mess, no particular line. It was hard to get his attention. But when I said that I was a Murphey, too, also spelled MurphEy, his attention turned to me. He asked a lot of questions about where my Murphey side of the family came from. Then, he signed on the piece of paper I was holding, "To the Murpheys! Michael Martin Murphey."  I guess I hadn't quite got around to telling him I had a different last name now. 

I have to tell you the best part of this story, though, occurred as we walked away. It became apparent that Ben didn't know what an autograph was, just that if this guy was giving something away, he wanted it. When I handed the paper to Ben he said, "What good is that? It is just a stupid piece of paper that's wroted on!"  He didn't want it, but I still have it.

The 2nd time we saw Michael Martin Murphey in concert was in Casper, WY. It was also a small, intimate setting and we got to visit with him afterward. That was at a time when we had our first cell phone. I wanted a photo to send to my brother so Mike took one with the cell phone, with Michael Martin Murphey's arm around me.  When we got out to our car I opened the cell phone to see it. It wasn't there. Back then, if you didn't hit SAVE before closing the flip phone, no photo was saved. I was bummed.

I was ready this time! We bought one of his t-shirts before his concert, just for my brother. Afterward, when I went for the autograph, I also had pulled up the screenshot from my brother's Facebook page that included his name. I asked Michael Martin Murphey to sign the shirt for my brother and showed him the screenshot, making some dumb comment about wanting to be sure he spelled it correctly. It took him a second, but then he realized what he was looking at and he laughed. For those of you who don't know, my brother's name is... Michael Murphey. There are many Murphys in the world, but it is rare to meet another spelled with the "E".

 Michael (singer) again asked a few questions and we agree we could be related, but didn't have enough information to know. He then graciously agreed to another photo. Mike (husband) was ready but Michael's road manager had Mike also get in the photo and he took several for us. We didn't lose them this time!

I will publish this post, hopefully, about the time my brother gets an unexpected package in the mail.

Thanks for reading!

The Little Church - Part 2

Anyone recognize this little cardboard church?  https://onlythemanager.blogspot.com/2011/09/little-church.html  I blogged about it several years ago.    We received it as a Christmas gift from our friend, Gwen, nearly 30 years ago.  It was actually just a cute container loaded with candies. I don't think it was meant to be used over and over. I am sure she didn't know we would still have it all these years later.  Mike has used it for children's sermons in Montana, New Mexico and now Wyoming.  He has hidden candies and other surprises in it, delighting kids over the years.  Our two oldest granddaughters would come to Grandpa's office and want to raid the little church for suckers or smarties.  That little church has been popular! 

But, as you can see, it is beginning to show its age.  I really hasn't noticed. But others had. This week Mike received this letter:

This fictitious  "building committee " is actually a friend named Ann.  She is so creative!.  Look what she made! 

I love that she patterned it after the much-loved cardboard church!  It is kind of like it's offspring.

It is so cool! 

The two churches get along well together.

And yes, the roof comes off on the new one as well, revealing an interior just waiting for some candy.




I love them both!  I especially love that they will always remind us of two sweet friends.

The Fixer Upper Reveal

Mike and I really enjoy the TV Show, Fixer Upper. Who doesn't, right?. We find it very inspiring.

Mike and I have been slowly updating our home.  Last year we had new siding, windows and doors. This year, it was time to do our kitchen. That was the part most exciting for me! 

This is our kitchen before:

The 1970's laminate was cheap and chipping.  There was a lower cupboard to the left of the sink with a door so tiny, we could not reach all the way into the corner space.  Things were lost back there!. In fact, when they tore those cupboards out, they found a prescription for someone's pet from 27 years ago! 

Anyway, lots of different people played parts in helping us redo our kitchen.  There were challenges along the way.  There was quite a lot of waiting. We had a couple of setbacks but finally, the day came that the sink was in, the water on, and the new light installed. Since I was at work that day, Mike planned a little "reveal" for me, something like they did on fixer upper. I had picked up granddaughter, Elise, so she was a part of it as well. It was fun! 

On Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna begin the reveal with the homeowner's eyes closed. When they open their eyes they first see big panels showing the house as it was before. So, Mike had us close our eyes...

When I opened my eyes I got the"before" photo in my face....

Then, he photographed my reaction as I saw the completed kitchen...

I am so happy with the results! How grateful I am to get to enjoy this pretty room! 

A WORD FROM PASTOR MIKE - For All People

For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

Now that's a nice vision, the people of Israel were to be a light to the nations and an ensign, a flag, welcoming the people to Jerusalem, to the worship of God.

In reality the Jewish People, like all of us, hold a common fear - the fear of the stranger or outsider, the fear of those who are different.

A stranger could become our friend or our greatest enemy. We don't know so sometimes we hold people at a distance.

I grew up in a small community in North Central Montana by the Canadian Border.  Most people in our community were caucasion.  The Hutterites lived in our midst.  They were different. They spoke German and they dressed differently. They lived differently.

To see people of a different color you had to travel 30 miles to the Ft. Belknap Reservation.  If you wanted to run into someone of Asian descent you had to drive 75 miles to Havre, MT.  If you wanted to see someone of African American descent you had to drive to Great Falls. Growing up I don't remember hearing negative talk about people of different skin color.

But, at time I was a little guarded about people who were different.  It seemed like they might be scary or looking for trouble. There is one incident I'm not too proud of.  I was in grade school when I went to Chuck Wagon Days, a rodeo in Harlem, MT.  I was walking along with my Dad and I saw a young guy. He was white like me. He had a cowboy hat, boots, shirt, levis, just like me. But he had a severe form of scleroderma. His skin was real tight and his eye protruded. It scared me half to daeth. I never wanted to see him again.

Later, I thought about it and I was ashamed. His name was David. He tried to lead a public life. His community accepted him. Still, I'm sure he was made fun of by kids. Can you imagine not being able to go out in public without someone noticing you and either staring or looking away?

For some reason David lived longer than expected. He graduated high school and worked on the family farm. He became increasingly isolated. He liked to stay on the farm where he was safe from staring eyes.

First Lutheran in Havre had a weekly radio broadcast of their worship service. Pastor Rod Kvamme of First Lutheran was an interesting speaker. David listened to the services and finally got the nerve to call Pastor Kvamme. They established a friendship. David was able to share his struggle of being an outsider with his friend. But, finally that horrible disease claimed David's life. Pastor Kvamme did the funeral service for David and later wrote about his experiences with David. He lifted up for us David's humanity and his goodness. He wasn't an outsider. He was one of us.

For my house shall be called a house of prayer - for all people.

Our gospel reading is connected to this verse. It would seem that in this story Jesus is being pushed about his inclusiveness of all people by a Canaanite woman, but there is always more to the story.

In this story Jesus withdraws to Gentile territory, Tyre and Sidon. Since the time of Abraham there has been tension between the Israelites and Canaanites. Many Jews would not set foot on Canaanite soil. But, Jesus sailed across the Sea of Galilee and healed a demon possessed man in Gentile territory. He walked into Samaritan villages and talked with the people, another big "no no" for a Jewish rabbi. And people believed in him! Jesus broke down barriers.

In this story a Canaanite woman confronts Jesus, seeking help for her demon possessed daughter. The disciples wanted Jesus to send her away because she was "crying out", making a scene. In that day it was not proper for a rabbi to talk with a woman in public or with a Gentile, but Jesus did.

At first Jesus says nothing, then he says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" and then "It is not right to take the children's crumbs and throw them to the dogs." That sounds kind of rude, but it was not unusual for Jesus to chide and challenge, to illicit, to bring forth faith in people. And that's what happens in this case. Jesus responds, "Great is your faith!"

In other places Jesus did similiar things. Jesus was always trying to call faith out of those around him. Jesus was about breaking barriers, inclusion. The question is, what will we do with this? What is this story calling us to do?

For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. This is God's dream for us. It's connected to the story of the Canaanite woman, God reaching beyond barriers, bringing us closer, wanting to break down barriers, growing closer to each other as we grow closer to God.

Recently we were in Durham, NC to see our new granddaughter, Hila. On Sunday we went to the Duke Chapel for worship. What a magnificent structure! I wish I had more time to look around.

The guest preacher that day was African American. We were just a ways away from the Charlottesville incidents. The preacher was so disconsolate over the continuing violence that he almost couldn't go on. But, he made a good comeback. He said sometimes our world gets a little wobbly, like an old table. So, we need to prop it up with the steadfast love of God. God's love endures all the trials and troubles of humanity. God continues to love, continues to give freedom. God hangs in there with us even when we blow it.

The preacher reminded us of Eric Garner, a man killed by a choke hold in the back of a police van. Several weeks later 2 other policemen were shot near the same place. Eric Garner's mother went and laid a wreath at the site where the policemen were killed.

In a world that fears the stranger, where hate leaks out, we turn to God who loves the world, who established a house of prayer for all people. God wants us to be sources of healing, pouring his love back into the places of pain. This world will never be perfect as it is so we turn to God in the house of prayer and we pray with the Canaanite woman, "Help us Lord."

A Word From Pastor Mike - The Love of God

The foundation of the Christian faith is that God is love. You heard it in our lessons today:

• The lord has set his love on you and chose you..... Deuteronomy 7:7
• The Lord loves you..... Deuteronomy 7:8
• The Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love to those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations..... Deuteronomy 7:9
• Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ..... Romans 8:35
• No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.... Romans 8:37
• Nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our lord... Romans 8:39

It is there in the Old Testament. It's there in the New Testament. God loves us. God loved Israel. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

What's not clear? God loves Israel. God loves the world. Case closed, right?

Well, sometimes people don't feel loved by God for one reason or another, but the Bible is clear. God loves us.

This past week Sue and I were in Montana for my Aunt Eleanor's Memorial Service.  Eleanor was 101 years old, close to 102. She died peacefully in her sleep. The foundation of her life was the love of God.

Eddie and Eleanor Harmon were my godparents. Eleanor was there when Sue and I were married and when I was ordained. She made the red stole I wore for my ordination. She was going to make them all but found it was so hard that she gave the rest of the material to Sue and said, "You can do it."

I said the foundation of Eleanor's life was the love of God. I want you to know that she held that conviction throughout her life but it wasn't always easy for her. 

Eleanor was born in Norma, ND.  Her parents were in banking when the Great Depression hit the U.S. in the 1930's. Her family moved West. She had to live in a tent in Hogeland, MT for awhile until a house was moved to town. 

My Mom said that she thought that Eleanor would never marry but then Eddie Harmon came along. He was a great guy. They got married.

Later, when I was in grade school, Eddie died while driving the tractor. Eleanor relocated and eventually married Bill Bickel and moved to Hamilton, MT. Later Eleanor would have an encounter with breast cancer and survived.  Eventually Bill died.

The last years were difficult for Eleanor. She was in assisted living. It was hard for her to converse but she could listen. Even so, I would say that Eleanor lived a good life, held to her faith and now rests in God's peace.

Although life wasn't always easy for her, she kept faith. She kept her foundation, that God is love.

Alvin Rogness was the President of Luther Seminary and many years ago he wrote, "The Bible is God's love letter to you...From the Bible, the most important thing you learn about God is that he loves you and is trying to reach you. God is searching for you. He loves you and you can't stop him from loving you and from running after you. You can try running away from him but you can not stop him from staying on your trail."

The problem is not a deficiency of God's love. We've already heard John 3:16. In Romans 8:31-32, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will we not also with him graciously give us all things?"

The grand conclusion of this section of the Book of Romans and perhaps of the whole Bible is this, 

"Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So the problem is not a deficiency in God's love. The problem is sin, the devil, the world, our sinful self. We live in a fallen world. There will be struggles. Yet Paul reassures us, "For God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

When I listen to people like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer they say that people are always telling them that "God could never love me; you don't know what I've done." Then they proceed to tell them their list.

The problem is in us. The reality is God knows every bad thing we've done and still loves us. The reality is God is good at forgiveness. God is good at 2nd chances. God is ok with leaving the past in the past and starting over but we aren't.

One of the best things we can do is trust in God's forgiveness. "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The way forward is to build on the foundation of God's love, like my Aunt Eleanor and many other believers in the past. They knew they were not perfect but they confessed their sins and trusted in God's forgiveness and love.

Recently when I was back on our farm. I noticed this old building. It's listing now just a little bit. How much longer will it stand? I don't know, but you know what will remain even if the building falls? The foundation will remain.  You see it all over the homestead areas, the buildings may fall but the foundations remain.

How does Jesus end the sermon on the Mount?  With a story. "Everyone who heard these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock."

I started this sermon with a bunch of verses about God's love for us. That's our foundation. God loves us. Come what may, God loves us. The way forward is to build on the foundation of God's love, keep trusting. Then, like my Aunt Eleanor, we will die in peace and awaken to God's glory.

A WORD FROM PASTOR MIKE - Good Friday...What Does This Mean?

"But he was wounded for our transgressions.  He was crushed for our iniquities.  Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his stripes we are healed.  And we, like sheep, have gone astray.  We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."  Isaiah 53:5-6

What is so "good" about Good Friday?  Jesus is unjustly tried and convicted, tortured, put to death on a cross.  It's a bleak story, a dark story.  It's definitely not a "good" Friday for Jesus.

Actually, it hasn't always been called Good Friday.  In some places Good Friday is called Black Friday.  In fact, that is the color in the church year calendar for Good Friday.  But now, in our culture, Black Friday has become the big shopping day after Thanksgiving.

Sorrowful Friday was another name for this day.  This emphasized our "great sorrow" over Jesus' death for us.

God's Friday  was another term used.  God is doing His work repairing the damage of sin.  Jesus became the one sacrifice for all time.  Some scholars believe that God's Friday was then transformed into Good Friday

What does Christ's death mean for us?  The suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God's plan to save people from their sins, which is good, at least for us... not so good for Jesus.

Human beings are God's good creation but we are also sinful.  We need to own both parts of this.  We are saints because of God's righteousness in us and we are sinners at the same time.

Sometimes we like to put a good spin on this. One boy came home from school before Christmas and told his Mom that he had good news and bad news.  The bad news was the he goofed around a lot and didn't work very hard, resulting in poor grades on his report card.  The good news was that he still got to be one of the 3 wise men in the Christmas Program!.

Even though we like to put a good spin on our sinful human nature, the Apostle Paul doesn't sugar coat our situation.  In the book of Romans he writes, "None is righteous, no not one.  No one understands.  No one seeks for God.  No one does good, not even one.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

The bad news is that God despises sin because sin causes pain.  We are sinful; we cause pain through our words and deeds.  The wrath of God comes against sin and wants to destroy it.

The good news is God is love.  God loves His creation.  God loves us in spite of our sin so He sent Jesus to take care of the sin problem, once and for all time.

I don't know if you've ever thought about the cross this way before, but it's the place where God's justice and God's love meets.

What kind of God would He be if he didn't care about sin and injustice?  What kind of a God would he be if he didn't love us?  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

God took care of the sin problem for us.  Martin Luther calls it "The Happy Exchange".  Christ takes the sins of the world on himself - our sins.  And then, he gives us His robe of righteousness to cover up our sinfulness.  So that when God looks at us, he doesn't see our sins. He sees us clothed in Christ's righteousness.  He sees us as part of His good creation, no longer slaves to sin but part of His Family.

Why did Jesus die for us?  Jesus endured the cross, knowing that it led to our redemption through his innocent suffering and death.  He bought us back from sin and set us free from both sin and death.

Now the future is opened for us.  Now we have new life, new beginnings every day because of Him.

So, Good Friday is good for us.  We are free.  Our sin debt is cancelled by the love of Jesus.

In John 15 Jesus speaks to His followers, "This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

Jesus laid down his life for his followers, for the whole world, for you and me... that we might be free from sin.  What wonderous love is this?!  And so... What does Good Friday mean?  It was a bad day for Jesus but good for us.
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A Word From Pastor Mike - AGAINST AND FOR

Another one of Mike's sermons from the past...

AGAINST AND FOR

We are a debating society.  We are encouraged to "weigh in" on issues or matters of importance.  Of course, we don't have to be an expert.  We can just have "strong feelings" about something  In our modern age technology allows us to get our opinion out into the world.

On YouTube you can watch something , see how many times it was viewed, and then give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  I've never weighed in.

You can watch a news report and then you are invited to be part of the poll...  Are you for or against this issue? 

A few weeks ago I tried to get interested in Facebook. I looked on Sue's Facebook page and Yikes! Some people were spewing out some awful stuff!  I didn't need to read that! I haven't been back so I hope Sue will let me know if something important happens.

So, surely it's safe to look at your favorite hockey team and read an article about the St. Louis Blues? They didn't resign their captain to a contract...ok, that's fine.  Then I looked at the "comment section". Two Blues fans were going after each other.  "The team's going in the right direction." "No! it's not and by the way you are a jerk!"

It appears that we aren't always civil with one another in our society.

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The truth is, we all have opinions.  Sometimes we get worked up over certain hot button issues.  We might not like a person because they hold a different view.  Maybe it's someone close to us who is the arbitrator.  Who gets to declare the winner?  Is it important?

During the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln was asked if God was on his side.  Lincoln replied, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side.  My greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

In our lessons today God weighs in.  God has some opinions and really, that should be the most important thing.  What does God say about a thing?  Culture may have an opinion.  The "experts" may have an opinion. But if we are believers, what God thinks should be our primary concern.

The intro to our first lesson in Amos tells us what God is against.  The Word of the Lord came to Israel and chided them for their feelings of superiority over other nations and peoples.  Woe to those who make their beds in comfort, eat sumptuous meals and sit idly enjoying all the good things in life. They didn't make changes.  They simply didn't care while their country was ruined.

The only thing God is for is for them going into exile.  And that's exactly what happened in 722 B.C. The Assyrian Army conquered the North Kingdom of Israel and hauled them away to become slaves. They had stopped caring about what God thinks.

In Paul's first letter to Timothy we find that God's Word is for good leaders who are held to high standards.  God has been FOR that throughout the ages.

Moses was a good leader for Israel.  He had high standards but he wasn't perfect.

There were many good and noble things about King David.  He was Israel's greatest King.  He had high standards and tried to follow God but he didn't always succeed.

I think the second reading is telling us that we want our Christian leaders to have high standards, but that should be true of all Christians.  I think God wants us all to have high standards.  Always considering, always asking what does God want me to do?

In our Gospel reading in Luke 16 I think it's pretty clear that God does not want us to neglect the poor.  God is AGAINST that. The rich man is a terrible example of not even helping one of his own.

It's interesting that in all the parables that Jesus tells, only in this parable does a character have a name.  His name is Lazarus, or "God is my help."

Lazarus is a pitiful figure.  He's laid at the rich man's gate; he can't even get there himself. He's a beggar. He has terrible sores. Dogs are licking him and he doesn't even speak in this parable.  Yes, he is part of the great reversal that Jesus talks about, "The first shall be last..."

So, God is AGAINST neglecting the poor but I heard in this reading that he is all FOR listening to Moses and the prophets.  And what were they saying... "love God with all your heart soul, mind and strength and be a good neighbor."

You and me, we are the 5 brothers of the rich man in this parable.  We are still here in this world. Lazarus won't come and pay us a visit but we do have Moses and the prophets.  We do have Jesus rising from the dead.  So, what are we going to do with that?  I hope we can do something beautiful  for God.

Let me explain what I mean.  Mother Teresa was a Catholic Nun who went to Calcutta, India, one of the poorest cities in the world.  Mother Teresa started orphanages and hospitals to care for the dying. She was greatly admired for giving her life to care for the poor.

As Mother Teresa became famous, people from all over the world came to Calcutta to meet her. When journalists would finish interviewing her she would look at them with a twinkle in her eye and ask, "So, you want to do something beautiful for God?"

Her point was not to be admired but to ask, "Why don't you join me in this quest to be a good neighbor.  Help these people.  They are struggling.  When you go back home, help the struggling people there."

The interesting thing in Mother Teresa's story is that she started out in Calcutta as a teacher in a nice, beautifully manicured convent.  At night she would look beyond the walls of her second story apartment.  She would see the poor and dying.  At first she would throw bread and money over the wall to the poor gathered there.  She finally asked her Mother Superior if she could do face-to-face ministry with the poor.  She was granted permission.  She walked across the street and touched the skin of a dying man.  Her life was never the same.  She did something beautiful for God.

Last week I said we probably won't christen a ship, have lunch with the queen, convert a nation or be burned at the state.  But the world of our neighbor is all around us.  It doesn't have to be a big thing but let's DO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR GOD in the world of our neighbors.  I think God is all FOR that.