Blog Posts by Dr. Gary Nelson

"Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect..."



"The Lord said to me,
Go down to the potter's house, where I will give you my message. So I went there and saw the potter working at his wheel. Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect, he would take the clay and make it into something else." (Jeremiah 18:1-4)

Any guesses on the photo...? I got this really cool new app on my phone. It allows me to point the phone to the sky and the app will tell me what celestial bodies I'm seeing in the night sky. So, I moved the phone around one night and found Jupiter. This is my Jupiter photo - a work in progress. I've tried a few times since I took this picture to get a better one, but so far without much success. I started not to share it, but then it hit me. Why are we so afraid of sharing our imperfections - our vulnerabilities? I've noticed it's especially true with my photos. I only want you to see the best ones, but if I waited for the "best" I might not ever share my

"...poured out his abundant grace..."


And our Lord poured out his abundant grace on me and gave me the faith and love which are ours in union with Christ Jesus. (I Timothy 1:15)

At the end of last summer my string trimmer overheated and stubbornly refused to let me finish cutting the rest of the tall weeds on the steep hillside beside my house. Before I could get the trimmer fixed fall morphed into winter and the weeds remained. (I've still got to get the trimmer fixed.) The weeds don't really bother me that much but it bothers me knowing that it probably bothers others. Last week we had a pretty decent ice storm that transformed the weeds into a work of art. I was busy during the day and didn't get the opportunity to take many photos, so I went outside after dark and snapped the one above with a long exposure and a little help from the garage light reflecting on the hillside. The ugliness from my neglect was transformed into a strange sort of beauty by God's covering it with

"...a log in your own eye..."


"How dare you say to your brother, 'Please, let me take that speck out of your eye,' when you have a log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:4-6)
Anyone who wears some sort of corrective lenses for eyesight knows how annoying it is to have to move around without your glasses or contacts. Everything is distorted and sometimes difficult to manage. (Ever try trimming your fingernails without your glasses if you're far-sighted?) To see clearly is especially important in many circumstances. For example, imagine trying to climb the stairs on the left side of the building in the photo if your vision was as distorted as the photo? Yet often times we push forward with the distorted "sight" (yes I've tried the finger-nail cutting without my glasses - ouch!) only to stumble into more hurt for ourselves and others.
As dangerous as

"...a log in your own eye..."

"How dare you say to your brother, 'Please, let me take that speck out of your eye,' when you have a log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:4-6)
Anyone who wears some sort of corrective lenses for eyesight knows how annoying it is to have to move around without your glasses or contacts. Everything is distorted and sometimes difficult to manage. (Ever try trimming your fingernails without your glasses if you're far-sighted?) To see clearly is especially important in many circumstances. For example, imagine trying to climb the stairs on the left side of the building in the photo if your vision was as distorted as the photo? Yet often times we push forward with the distorted "sight" (yes I've tried the finger-nail cutting without my glasses - ouch!) only to stumble into more hurt for ourselves and others.
As dangerous as it

"...misled by their own opinions..."



"Many people have been misled by their own opinions; their wrong ideas have warped their judgment."
(Sirach 3:23-25) (From the Apocrypha of the Old Testament)

There are always two sides - or maybe three or more! How quickly I learned that as a young pastor starting out in my career. There were several occasions when someone would share with me a very harsh description of another person or situation. The picture I got of the person was not very flattering. Later, when I had a chance to listen to the other person's side of the story, the picture sometimes (but not always) changed rather dramatically. There were even a few times when I was especially grateful that I didn't act before hearing the other side of the story. Had I jumped to an opinion and acted based on only the first story I heard I might have added even more hurt and confusion to the situation.

Last Friday and Saturday I was speaking at a youth retreat in southern New Jersey. On our

"...will be your eternal light..."

" No longer will the sun be your light by day or the moon be your light by night; I, the Lord, will be your eternal light;
The light of my glory will shine on you." (Isaiah 60:19)

I got out of the car and turned to go in a shop with my family when I glanced up the hill and saw this old cemetery. I was immediately drawn to something. It took a moment for me to realize that it was the light calling me. The day was ending, just a few minutes before sunset, and the light reflecting upon the tombstones on top of the hill against an angry winter sky was especially magnificent.

Since starting to take more photos I've discovered that I've become increasingly sensitive to light. There's light -- and then there's light... Patti, my wife, would confirm that on many occasions as we've been driving down the highway she's heard me remark, "Wow, look at that light!" I think the same can be said for our spiritual relationship with God. There's God -- and then

"...too lazy to plow..."


"A farmer too lazy to plow his fields at the right time will have nothing to harvest." (Proverbs 20:4)

This New Year's Day was a tough time to be a tugboat captain on the river. As I took this photo I only could imagine the frustration of the captain and pilot. They were fighting to keep their coal-laden barges on course in the channel as they plowed through the fierce winds and waves. I guess they knew their coal had to get to market so they struggled on instead of waiting out the storm. Sometimes life does present us with situations where our only recourse is to just plow right on through --- but do we?

When I hear about the "lazy farmer" in the Proverb at first I want to use that favorite teen phrase, "Well duh...." In other words, it seems like such a "no-brainer" to realize that if you don't plow your field and plant your crop there won't be any crops to harvest. Why would anyone need to say such a thing? Why would anyone have to be reminded of

"...remember you always..."

"I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did. I thank him as I remember you always in my prayers night and day." (II Timothy 1:3)

They're not candles, they're people -- or at least they represent people. Each Tuesday evening we have a simple service in our sanctuary. It begins with 25 minutes of silent prayer and reflection followed by the sharing of Holy Communion. Each time we gather some folks light candles to represent people and/or situations they are lifting in prayer. As I started to leave the sanctuary this evening I realized these candles needed to be the photo for this week's Wednesday Wonderings. The candles represent people who need light in the darkness and the caring of those who paused and took the time to remember them in prayer. It's such a simple, but powerful gesture - lighting a candle of prayer and remembrance for another.

We all need to know we are remembered, that we are carried by someone in