Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #47

November 28, 2022

Tears For The Holy Land

I have recently arrived back from the trip of a lifetime. I took a continuing education journey with other members of the Reformed Church in America to the Holy Land. It has been years since I felt the spiritual high that I felt while I walked through the places where Jesus walked.

In the midst of historical sights I also learned a bit about how Israeli Jews and Palestinians interact and the fear that each group has and the distrust that is apparent between the two groups. Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have special license plates. They are taxed but not allowed to vote. Palestinians living in occupied zones live under martial law and are answerable for their behavior in Military, not civilian courts. They also need permits to leave the occupied zones through check points around the security wall.

Israeli Jews are fearful because they are descendants of those who survived the holocaust of Europe and because of the Palestinian militias that sought to keep them from relocating to Palestine beginning in the late 1800’s and continuing today. Terror attacks by Palestinians have done nothing to relieve the fear that these Jews live with.

Palestinians in the occupied lands live under the daily threat of being arrested and brought to military courts. Their movements and their water supplies are controlled by Israel. They fear overnight incursions into their homes by heavily armed Israeli soldiers. Often these entries happen at two or three in the morning. They also fear that their transportation and work permits might get cancelled and their ability to earn a livelihood will end.

While I was in the Holy Land, all was peaceful. We interacted with both Palestinian and Jew. We traveled through Israel as well as areas in the occupied West Bank. I was grateful that all was peaceful despite at times feeling the tension between the two groups. I was shocked when three days after my return two bombs exploded near Jerusalem, killing and maiming Abraham’s sons and daughters.

It saddens me that these two groups, all descendants of Abraham, have so much to fear from one another. As our season of Advent begins, followed by the Christmas Season, I will be praying more fervently that peace might finally come to this troubled land and all of Abraham’s descendants can learn to respect and love one another and even seek the prosperity of all.

This Advent and Christmas season please pray for peace in the Holy Land. It breaks my heart that people live in such fear and I believe that Abraham, and the God of Abraham, cry when Abraham’s descendants treat each other so badly.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#HolyLand                                                                 #Peace

#Israel                                                                        #Palestine

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #46

November 21, 2022

Thanksgiving: The Fruit of the Spirit

Thanksgiving is just a few day away. I always love the Thanksgiving Holiday. I have some long-standing traditions every Thanksgiving. On the day before Thanksgiving our congregation hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner for those who have no families to share a celebratory dinner with.

On Thanksgiving day, of course, I have to watch “The March of the Wooden Soldiers” followed by the Macy’s parade. A magnificent dinner with family and friends follows that and what follows is great time of socializing with those I care about most. Perhaps, amid the socializing, I will get to watch a little football also.

What are your traditions? Do you celebrate dinner with the family followed by a few football games? Do you look forward to watching the Westminster Dog Show after dinner and begin watching Hallmark Christmas movies?

No matter what your traditions are for this holiday, I hope and pray that at your Thanksgiving table, and after the table is cleared, that you will not just eat the fruits of your feast but also take on the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Not everyone knows what these are so here are a list of them. I hope that you will pray to receive this fruit and will begin to practice them each and every day.

Love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience, gentleness and self-control.

It is good that we have Thanksgiving to celebrate the prosperity that God gives to us. Better than physical wealth and prosperity is the gift that God gives us with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Such fruit gives us a Spiritual resilience that can carry us through the most difficult at times and can even improve our relationships with others. Which is better to have wealth but poor relationships or great relationships and more modest material blessings? I think that better relationships are far better than wealth.

As we are on the verge of Advent, Christmas, and the new year, I ask that we all pray for the fruit of the spirit and exercising that fruit. Such practices will go a long way to giving us a blessed holiday season and a peace-filled new year. A full Thanksgiving table is wonderful but a soul filled with the Spirit fruit is even better.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Thankgiving                                                             #Abudance

#FruitoftheSpirit                                                        #GiftsoftheSpirit

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #45

November 14, 2022

Working Together

I have been intrigued by Amish culture for decades. I first heard about them in grammar school but never saw them or met them until I was in the eighth grade. Our eighth grade field trip was to Lancaster. After living in Jersey City, seeing the large farms, undeveloped property and the style of Amish dress, most of us thought that we had landed on another planet. Since this trip, I have read a bit about the Amish history and culture and have made a few return trips to Lancaster. I am intrigued by the culture.

Recently on Facebook I viewed a video that once more ignited my admiration of the Amish. In this video a structure which might be a small barn or perhaps it is a large shed, was being moved intact to another location. According to the caption, three hundred Amish men were moving this structure. They worked together and used all their strength to accomplish this. It shows how great works can be completed when everyone is working together for a common goal. I wish that the non-Amish world would learn this lesson

This past Tuesday we went to the polls and voted for and against various members of elected office. Some people were pleased with the results while others greatly disappointed by the various election outcomes. It is my hope and prayer that those elected, despite party affiliation, will work together in unity and not be adversaries because of prideful egos. I hope that they will work together for the common good of the citizens and not be motivated by self-interest.

If those elected to office can’t or won’t work together for the common good, I can’t help but wonder if we who can vote are not the ones to blame. How many of us actually vote? How many of us as a reflex vote by party without any creative thinking? Are we voting for those with extreme positions rather than moderate candidates who can best work with those of other parties. Are we to blame for our divisions? Perhaps it is time that we make the election changes that are required to get us working together, much like the Amish do. Maybe the lives of ordinary citizens would be improved by this.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Amish                                                                       #WorkingTogether

#Elections                                                                  #Voting

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #44

November 7, 2022

Halloween Outreach

Years ago I was told that “Halloween is a Satanic holiday, and no real Christian would celebrate it.”

I was a little curious about this statement when I first heard it. I had enjoyed Halloween my whole life. Since I could remember I went trick or treating around the neighborhood. Often I collected money for UNICEF. These UNICEF boxes were supplied by my Sunday school. Would Satan really approve of my collecting money for impoverished children? 

Over the years I met “Christian” people who claimed that the only proper way to celebrate was to dress in costumes of Bible Characters. No other costumes were considered acceptable.

A week ago, I happened to think of these opinions that I have heard over the years as I stood with my wife Pam at the Bergenfield Trunk or Treat party. We greeted thousands of children, gave out candy (about 5,000 pieces) and handed out fliers advertising our advent/Christmas programs. A number of parents expressed interest in our fliers and asked about our congregation and we had several wonderful conversations.

After the event was finished and I returned home to throw away the empty candy bags, I prayed for those people I spoke to about our congregation. I prayed that I would hear from them and that they would come and worship with us.

Halloween 2022 got us Christians out of our building to meet thousands of people.

Halloween 2022 gave us the opportunity to make thousands of children smile.

Halloween 2022 gave us the opportunity to invite thousands of people to our congregation.

If this is really a Satanic Holiday, Satan certainly had a bad day. My only concern is that it took a holiday to get us out of our building to talk to our neighbors. I wonder why we don’t do it more often. Maybe we ought to get out and meet more people more often.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Halloween                                                               #TrunkOrTreat

#Evangelism                                                             #BlessingChildren

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book: https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

PastorMarkCast

In this week’s episode Pastor Mark discusses the shortness of life and how life can change in a split second and ask what would we want our last words, thoughts and actions to be.

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.

https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/677059/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #43

October 31, 2022

Life can change in a second

More than twenty years ago I heard the shocking news that a great friend, mentor and minister in the Albany area suddenly collapsed while jogging. He had died instantly of a burst aneurism. It had burst in a split second.

Not look after my mentor died, my mother-in-law was out for her daily walk. As she aged she was conscious of her blood pressure. She took daily walks of one mile and was diligent about taking her blood pressure medication. While walking she suddenly collapsed, the victim of a major stroke. She lived a number years after that but was permanently paralyzed on her left side. She went from mobile to paralyzed in a split second.

Almost three years ago my sister had just dressed for work when she suddenly collapsed and died of a massive heart attack. She died instantly. Her death came also in a split second.

Two weeks ago I was speaking to one of my elders on the phone. Without warning, her speech changed and she said that something was wrong. After the ambulance took her to the hospital it was determined that she had a brain tumor and would require surgery. She is undergoing post-surgical treatment now. In a split second her voice changed from normal to slurry. What a different a second can make.

A week ago a tragedy happened to a young man in a town a few miles from ours. He commuted to New York City every day where he worked as a stagehand for the Metropolitan Opera. He was twenty years old. His backpack got caught in the subway door and he was dragged to his death. His life ended and his family’s world changed in a single second.

Why am I recording all these tragic stories? Because I am reminded that life is fragile and life is short. I suspect that if we all keep this in mind we would all behave better, be kinder to one another, and even our thoughts would be more gentle. Would we want our last action, our last words or our last thought to be our final ones?

We don’t know how many years or days we have left in our lives. We don’t know if our deaths will be sudden, or if they will come after lengthy illnesses. Nobody but God knows the length of our days. We have no control over that. We can control how we live our years. Will our lives bless others and please God or will we think, act, and speak in ways that harm others and disrespect God?

Life can change or end in a second. How well will we be living at our end?

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Tragedy                                                                   #SuddenDeath

#ChristianLiving                                                       #FaithfulLiving

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Pastor MarkCast

In this week’s episode Pastor Mark discusses the mentality of “us and them” and asks the questions how does this event give meaning to our lives, bless those around us and help us honor our creator?

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.

Go to this link to hear the podcast

https://media.rss.com/pastormarkchat/feed.xml

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #42

October 24, 2022

Reflections on “Us” Vs. “Them”

Every Thursday morning you can find me in places around town handing out lunches to day laborers who come to town for work. In conjunction with another congregation we make the lunches on Wednesday and distribute them on Thursday. Never in my life have I seen such grateful looks from the recipients. You would think that we were giving these men a million dollars. Some start eating immediately making me wonder when was the last time that they ate. I usually give such people a second lunch.

The week after hurricane Ian struck Florida a man in a pickup truck saw us distributing lunches, rolled down his window and began yelling. “Why are you giving them lunches? Give them to Americans. Do you know how many people in Florida are hurting?”

I struggled not to get angry, smiled at him and asked, “will you help us pack supplies for Florida?”

He sped off, nearly hitting me in the process. I was grateful to be a few feet away from his truck. As scared as I was from a near collision, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for he, or anyone else, who saw the world in terms of “them” and “us.” I knew such people in my neighborhood when I was growing up. They tended to be very lonely people.

Depending on to whom I am speaking, the definitions of “us” and “them” changes. “They” can be people of different race or possibly a different ethnic group. Maybe “they” are a of a different political party or a different economic group or age strata. Many people create these definitions, or get taught them as children from their elders. Either way such definitions restrict the experiences and relationships that we can potentially have with newcomers who have a lot of gifts to share.

I celebrate others and can’t wait till all the others are “us.” I worship Jesus Christ, who went out of his way to show that there was no “us” or “them” but only “us.” When we read the Bible stories of Jesus he seemed to go out of his was to reach out to the marginalized, the shunned and the estranged with the intention of drawing them into the circle of “us.”

I am hoping that God’s Spirit descends on our whole country and ends some of this us vs. them thinking. I am hoping that people of good will lead by example in ending the divisions that stand between us and begins to make the whole country “us.” We have a lot to learn from one another and a lot of gifts and blessing to share with each other but we will never gain those benefits as long as we see the world as “us” and “them.”

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#UsVsThem                                                              #DayLaborers

#ChristianFaith                                                         #JesusChrist

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:

In this week’s episode of Pastor MarkCast, Pastor Mark discusses the movie “Father Stu” and asks the questions how does this event give meaning to our lives, bless those around us and help us honor our creator?

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.

https://media.rss.com/pastormarkchat

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #41

October 17, 2022

Reflections the NY Mets and Adaptability

As I have said before I am a life-long fan of the NY Mets. I was ten years old when they pulled off the miracle in 1969 and the team ignited the NJ/NYC area. I was equally pleased with those other World Series appearances in 1973, 1986, 2000, and 2015. Even if the team loses in the World Series it is great to see them make it so far.

This year was very optimistic for those of us who are Met fans. We started out strong and had a good lead over the Braves in the first part of the season. Something happened at the All-Star break. The team was never the same after that. I suspect that the trades we made interrupted the chemistry of the team. Other fans from social media fan sites have speculated that the Mets started living off early season laurels and stopped playing up to their capabilities. I hope that this is not true, but too often in human nature we do focus so much on what we have done in the past that we forget to produce in the present.

I once knew a man with mental health issues and addiction issues who refused to get help. He lived his last years in a single room occupancy telling me about the awards and accomplishments that he had received in high school. He never lived in the present, only the past.

I’ve known churches who are declining and do no outreach or mission who can describe the great mission activities that their church engaged in during World War II.

No one loves studying history more than I do. We can learn great things from history if we are willing too. Yet, if celebrating history keeps us from being and doing in the present then we have missed the point of studying history. Learning history helps us perform today and that is the key to success. To thrive we must always learn from the past and adapt to new situations.

It is good when we can reflect on great doings from the past. Rather than keep us stuck in the past I hope that our histories can be motivators to do even better in the present and future. The way to the future is to do well in the present. I hope that we all take that lesson to heart. Innovation and adaptability is what keeps us from being backwashed in life.

I hope that my beloved Mets learn this lesson and earn a few championships next season.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Adaptability                                                             #NYMets

#ChristianFaith                                                         #HistoryLessons

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book: https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/