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Is This What it is Like?
I spent about two and a half hours yesterday over a sausage and pepperoni pizza and a steaming cup of black coffee. I was with another pastor. I, just finishing my first year as a pastor and he, coming into his last year as a pastor. I was able to express some of my pains…
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…God First Loved Us
I had the privilege of administering my first baptism yesterday. It was an infant who was recently born of one of the families in our congregation. It was a wonderful celebration of the sacrament of baptism. The liturgy is beautiful, the child was adorable and dressed in this lovely white dress. She fussed a little…
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A Cross in my Hand
I have a cross which is designed to be held in one’s hand. It was given to me when I was installed as pastor and teacher at my church. It has rounded corners and it is smooth to the touch. It is unfinished and it is designed to absorb the oils from hands over time.…
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“…With Sighs Too Deep for Words”
I had an out-of-town meeting yesterday, about an hour away. On my way to this meeting, the distance provided me with one full hour of unstructured alone time. I was not reading, I was not making telephone calls, I was not having people stop by my office, and I was not writing. I had an…
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Earnestly Praying for Peace
“Pray for peace.” This is a common thing to say. I pray for peace. Mostly, however, I’ve prayed for the idea of peace, I’ve never had to actually earnestly pray for peace before. The Milwaukee area is still on edge from the massacre at the Sikh temple in one of the south suburbs. We have…
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Simple Things Like Coffee
I drink coffee every day, and I drink it all day. I love coffee. I’m not talking about Folgers or Maxwell House, I’m not even talking about Starbucks. I’m talking about good micro-roasted coffee. Always strong, always black. Coffee is not just something that I drink for the caffeine. I love the taste. It provides a…
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The Minister as Particular Theologian
I have not been very faithful the last couple of weeks in my writing. The reason for that is largely because I have been immersed in writings by and about Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758). Jonathan Edwards is most known for his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” This is, of course, in a…
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Shelter From the Rain
The other day, it was raining outside and I was walking into church. On the sidewalk outside of church, I saw a couple of children from our church: two brothers and their cousin. They came up to me, one of the boys holding an umbrella. As I often do when I speak with children, I…
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Hump-Day Hymns: Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face; Here would I touch and handle things unseen, Here grasp with firmer hand eternal grace, And all my weariness upon Thee lean. Here would I feed upon the bread of God, Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heaven; Here would I lay aside…
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Home
Recently, during a rather difficult day, my wife and I were driving back to our flat, and I looked at her and said, “I want to go home.” “We’ll be there soon,” she said. “No,” I said, “my real home.” This, of course, referred to my desire to return to Michigan, the place whence I…
Matthew van Maastricht
Shepherd of Souls | Spiritual Director | Psychotherapist
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Matthew van Maastricht 