In this episode, Pastor Mark talks about the fear that some people carry concerning our election cycle and asks the question, “what should we really fear?”
Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.
Go to this link to hear the podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/1321350/
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #5
January 29, 2024
Politics and Fear
The headlines are full of our nation’s political contest. I now read more analysis of the various state primary elections than I do of the war in Ukraine or the war in Gaza. I never thought that anything could push these two wars off the top of the news reports, but the elections have.
This past week I heard that Joe Biden had won the primary in New Hampshire, Donald Trump had won there also, but many Trump supporters are fearful because Nikki Haley did as well as she did. They fear that in future she might be a strong rival to Donald. This concern has increased since Donald has been ordered to pay eighty-three million dollars in the defamation lawsuit against him.
People are asking me “who do you think will win the primaries and the presidency?” There is always fear behind that question. Each political supporter, and each party member can think of a doomsday scenario in the case that the other candidate will win. They have genuine fear that if the election goes the “wrong way” there will be bad circumstances.
I remember such fear when I was a student in college in western Michigan which was the homeland of Gerald Ford. There was fear that Jimmy Carter might beat him in the election, which he ultimately did.
A similar fear was held my first year of seminary when Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter. Students there felt that the world would end when Ronald Reagan took office.
Likewise, every election since those two have induced fear for party members and supporters of candidates. I wonder if we, who are Christians, should be worrying about other things besides presidential elections.
The Christian church thrived when it was born under the reign of the Caesars in the Roman Empire. Why do we fear whoever takes office in this country?
We, who are Christians should fear only one thing: not being faithful to God. I am reminded of an ancient Israeli Psalm 27.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
This election, like others before it, shall come and go. No matter who is the next president, Put your faith in honoring God. God is the one who is everlasting.
#ReformedChurchInAmerica #PastorMarkAuthor.com
#BergenCounty #BergenfieldNJ
#Fear #Politics
My new website, www.markwilliamennis.com
My new website is launched but it still needs a few adjustments. Please see my new website: www.markwilliamennis.com
I hope that you will begin to follow me on my new website.
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #4
January 22, 2024
God, may we? Yes, you may!
People my age grew up playing the game of “Mother, may I?” In this game, one person is picked as the mother and others asked the mother to take different types of steps. Some of the types of steps were interesting. You might ask to take a giant step, an umbrella step, a baby step, or a rabbit step. To take such steps one must ask, “May I?” and the mother would respond, “yes you may.”
I am reminded of this game as I look at the progress, we have made in beginning an Hispanic ministry in our congregation. We have planned this for eight years and have suffered a few futile attempts. For some reason, things were not working well in bringing us toward this outreach. Perhaps it was our lack of ability. Maybe God was not ready to bless our efforts. After several years of futile attempts and asking God, “May we?” God responded, “Yes, you may!”
One year ago, we found a seminary student, who is a native of Columbia, to begin our outreach to Hispanic neighbors and build an Hispanic congregation that will be part of our congregation. This student, Ivan Gil, began work with our classis toward the goal of ordination as a minister of word and sacrament.
Even as he continues his work within our congregation, our nomination committee nominated, and our congregation elected him, to be an elder of the congregation. This will, with the consent of consistory, allow him to be an elder who preaches and be an elder who can serve Holy Communion to this Hispanic Congregation.
Just a few days later, Ivan received a letter from the Reformed Church Ministerial Formation Certification Agency (MFCA). He has been accepted into the program. This is an important step toward his ordination. God granted he, and us, another giant step forward.
Thirty years ago, Hispanics began moving into our community but most of our congregations did not even notice. A decade ago, we tried to do Hispanic outreach, but we really did not know how. Now, God has shown us the way and has allowed us to take a giant step forward.
We are not content to stand where we are. There is plenty more to do to make our Spanish-speaking worshiping community a sustainable one. We continue to ask God, “may we take another step-forward?”
Have you ever been frustrated in your plans, either personal, or for your faith community? Have you ever prayed, “God, may I?” but never heard a response from God, or even worse, heard, “no you may not!” Sometimes we are not ready for the blessing and God will not grant us the blessing until we are ready, or God is not yet ready for reasons we cannot comprehend. Or, perhaps, what we are asking is not in accordance with God’s will.
If God won’t let us take a giant step, or even a baby step, then we must ask ourselves if we are doing what God wills and if maybe we need to better prepare ourselves to receive the blessing. Then, perhaps, God will allow us to take giant steps like he has at our congregation.
#ReformedChurchInAmerica #PastorMarkAuthor.com
#BergenCounty #BergenfieldNJ
#HispanicOutreach #ElderOrdination
#WaitingForGod #God’sTiming
To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please look at his website:
My new website, markwilliamennis.com will be launched soon. Please watch for future announcements.
In this episode, Pastor Mark discusses childhood game of “Mother, may I” in the context of asking for God’s blessings. Sometimes we have to wait until the time is right to receive his blessing.
Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.
Go to this link to hear the podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/1311062/
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #3
January 15, 2024
Finishing the work of Dr. King
Today we celebrate the life, and mourn the death of, Dr. Martin Luther King. Most people that I know refer to this day as “MLK day.” No matter what we call it, it is good that we celebrate his birthday and the work he did during his short life. He was horribly murdered when I was nine years old, and he was only thirty-nine years old.
I remember the fear that white adults had of him when he made speeches, supported civil rights, called for voting, and fought against discrimination. Whites who were in power largely liked the system that was in place and feared losing power if black people were given equal rights. He, and his movement, scared a lot of powerful white people.
I grew up thinking that Dr. King was all about race and racial relations. It was only later in my life that I realized that his causes were much more than that. His major concern was violence, and he made many enemies when he preached against the Vietnam War. For him, economic oppression and discrimination were simply other forms of violence used against people. In this aspect, his work is like that of Gandhi, whose work he studied.
Today, as we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday, I hope we will celebrate the gains that have been made in civil rights, even though we still have a long way to go. Perhaps there is no legal discrimination, but we still have, I am told by black friends, small acts of aggression against them. They tell me that despite being well dressed and professional there are still times when they are looked at with suspicion in certain places. These same friends report that there is a reluctance among white people to invite black people into their homes. According to them, discrimination used to be legal and systemic, now it is largely subtle and done by individuals. The technical term is “micro aggression.”
Dr. King’s work was not always about the macro and systemic. He also addressed the individual work that each person could do for others. He encouraged people to do good works for one another.
In 1957 he made a speech in Montgomery, Alabama and in his address, he is quoted as saying, ““Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others? ‘” What are we doing for those in our neighborhoods and communities who need our help? I pose this for all of us to consider.”
To honor Dr. King, today and every day, we ought to ask ourselves the question, “What are we doing for others?”
What are we doing for others? Let us carefully and sincerely ask ourselves this question today.
#ReformedChurchInAmerica #PastorMarkAuthor.com
#BergenCounty #BergenfieldNJ
#MartinLutherKing #Justice
#DoingForOthers #MLK
To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please look at his website:
In this episode, Pastor Mark discusses the great work of Dr. Martin Luther King and calls on each of us to do small acts of assistance toward our neighbors as Dr. King asked us to.
Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.
Go to this link to hear the podcast: https://media.rss.com/pastormarkchat/feed.xml
I’m excited. My new book should be out in just a few weeks, just in time for Lent.
In this episode, Pastor Mark discusses issues of life and death and asks us to contemplate if we live lives so that people will miss us when we are gone.
Go to this link to hear the podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/1292483/
Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all of his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.
Pastor Mark Author 