September 2010

A Tribute to a Faithful Pastor: L. C. Schwanz

His peers called him L. C. but his congregation always called him Pastor Schwanz. I still remember that Tuesday evening in September 1964 at The Dalles, Oregon. On Sunday my wife Judy and I, a newlywed couple of two months, had attended worship services at The Dalles Church of the Nazarene.

Judy and I were new to this city in northern Oregon. We had arrived about a month before from North Dakota where we had lived our entire lives. We met in the Mandan, North Dakota, school system and married in July 1964. Married life brought us to teaching jobs in The Dalles, Oregon.

Q&A: Facing Divorce

Q: How should the church counsel or advise when a couple within the congregation is headed towards divorce?
There are no easy answers to this question. Every marriage is unique, and the factors contributing to the end of a marriage are also unique. We do know the truth of God's plan for covenant commitment in marriage. We don't necessarily know the truth of what happens between a husband and wife in the privacy of their own home.

The most important thing we can offer a couple heading for divorce is to listen.

Who or What Are You Worshiping?

Kevin was in good spirits over his Sunday school class's response to his lesson. But by the end of the morning service, he was in a foul mood.

Rather than greeting the minister, he ducked out the side door, rushed his family into the car, and roared home. The service lasted "too long" and caused Kevin to miss the kick-off of the Melbourne Victory football (soccer) game. He often told anyone who would listen that he "just about worshiped the Big V." Kevin's 'religious' attitude toward the "Big V" probably takes a back seat to that of Mr. and Mrs. Reece.