Old Columns

Rev. Daniel Thies, Ph.D.

The Rev. Daniel Thies is the pastor of Eternal Trinity Lutheran Church. He is a graduate of The University of Alabama, has a Ph.D. in mathematical physics from Indiana University, and a Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Pastor Thies also studied for one year at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt in the Federal Republic of Germany. Before entering the ministry Pastor Thies taught physics and mathematics at Concordia University, Irvine. Pastor Thies and his wife Evangeline live in Milton and have three sons and a daughter.

Pastor's September Newsletter Column

Over the last two years most of us have had to reevaluate our financial resources. Because of the slow down in the economy and falling home prices, interest rates and other investments, we have come to the conclusion that our future financial income is not what we might have hoped for previously. Once we recognize that we have less income, we are forced also to look at our expenses as well to see what may be cut so that we do not overspend our means. Some expenses like health care and energy prices will continue to rise, so that others may need to be cut more severely. Decisions have to be made what can be cut and what can not.

The crisis forces us to evaluate where we are placing our limited resources and decide whether on not the things that we spend our money on are worthwhile. Do we continue to put money into houses that may not sell? Do we hold out for more money or sell when we have a buyer? Or is it a good time to buy now because prices are low? What can we really do without? There are a lot of questions to ask.

In some ways the difficult decisions force us to come to an understanding of what is truly valuable and what should be done away with. This is something that we do when we have to, but that really should also be doing even in good times. It is always good for us to evaluate our budgets both personally and also as a congregation. We are coming to grips with the fact that in our local congregation and also nationally we don't have the resources to do many of the things we used to as a Church and so we too have to evaluate what is most important and what may not be necessary. This is exercising good stewardship. Eliminating some things is not necessarily bad when helps focuses us on what is truly important and of value.

Jesus tells us that being his disciple does have costs, and that we should be aware of that. Because we believe in Jesus we need to eliminate some of the ways of the world from our lives. However, what we gain is of much greater value. Christ pays the full cost of our sin, and through His Word we know that we receive heavenly blessings far more valuable than anything in this world. Jesus says to count the costs of being His disciple. If we do, we always find that Christ always gives far more than we give up, and what is of real and lasting value, His love and forgiveness, can not be taken from us. Where Christ is present and active through His Word and Spirit, the Church has all that is really needed to accomplish its mission.