Oddwalk Ministries

Category: scripture

amazing, catholicism, family, friends, JesusJusticeJoy, Justice, ministry, music, prayer, reflection, scripture, YSP

Sometimes the Children Lead

Job 32:9 reads: “It is not those of many days who are wise, nor the aged who understand the right.”  Elihu, the son of one of Job’s three friends, is upset that his father and the other two have not adequately answered Job’s complaints nor have they condemned Job’s considering himself to be in the right rather than God Almighty.  So, it takes a child to point out the obvious — and sometimes this is still the case today.

Shannon wrote last week about Youth Sing Praise, at which I (Orin) was, on staff as assistant music director and accompanist, and also assisted at prayer.  Additionally, Youth Sing Praise Jr., a one day program for 6-7-8th graders met just on Saturday and prepared and sang that night a song from a musical I co-wrote for YSP a few years ago with my friend Bradley Behrmann.  While the song, “Why Must There Always Be Someone to Hate?” is sung in the show by Uncle Mordechai, the hero of the show is his niece, Queen Esther, herself likely little more than a teenager, saving the Jewish people from the first recorded attempt to exterminate them.

One of the reasons I remain active in various efforts at youth ministry is what I learn from them, particularly about my faith and, simply, how to just get along in the world.  May we all be willing, at times, to let the children lead and teach!

Without further ado, here’s the video of Saturday’s performance, shot by proud dad Shannon, who had two children in the group, including Noah, Godson of me and my wife, who solos on the first line of the song as well as a little later on. Enjoy!

catholicism, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, liturgy, ministry, music, prayer, quote, reflection, scripture

Are You Listening?

This year, I (Orin) have been posting on Facebook the little doodles that my parish Children’s Choir creates in their music while we are rehearsing.

As I’ve looked through the music which is turned in, in addition to unicorns, flowers, and other odd scribbles, I also look for signs that they are paying attention during rehearsal – they’ve marked a dynamic for a phrase, or where or where not to breathe, or how long to hold a note, etc.

In addition to speaking of the musical elements of a piece, we do spend a little time speaking about the text of a piece, what it means, why we are singing it, and other facets.  So, I was heartened a few days ago that one singer chose to doodle on this text we had spoken about briefly, on this piece the choir sang on Holy Thursday night a couple weeks ago. They were not only paying attention to me and how we worked on the music of the piece, but on the text too, putting these core words of our faith, taught to us by Jesus Christ himself, in their hearts and souls as well.

When Christ – or his ministers in the here and now – teach us, are we listening with only our ears, or our brains, or are we listening to Christ with our hearts and souls as well?

family, JesusJusticeJoy, scripture

For You Are With Me

This past September, my wife lost her job. The circumstances are complicated, but if you and I know each other well enough, I might share the story with you over a beer sometime. Maybe—and you’re buying. :) Anyway, as you might imagine, since then, life has been pretty interesting for the Cerneka family. I share…

Read more →

announcements, bible, catholicism, family, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, Judaism, liturgy, ministry, music, oddwalkia, prayer, reflection, saints, scripture, shrine

Guard Your Lions

Apologies for the unannounced four week hiatus from our Jesus-Justice-Joy posts here at the Oddwalk central. On the other hand, no one has been banging on our houses’ front doors demanding their return— Yet, today they do return.

But first, a brief word of explanation. Shortly after our most recent post of September 11, significant events occurred in the lives of Orin and Shannon. Orin’s dad, Orville “Doc” Johnson, passed away on September 17 – more on that in a moment. On the Cerneka side of things, Shannon’s wife Erin lost her job at very nearly the same time. On top of and in-between those occurrences have been other things, like a couple Oddwalk engagements, and, of course, all the personal and professional things that some call “real life.” While generally speaking all are doing “okay,” to pick a most vague and not-especially-descriptive term, please do keep us in prayer.

Last Friday night, in St. Louis, some local to STL friends and family of Orin gathered in a service of remembrance for his parents, Orville and Eva (Eva died in 2008). For this week’s return to JJJ posts, we share here the Gospel passage read at that service and Orin’s preaching on it.

Orville and Eva, at Orin & Erin’s Wedding in 2004

Luke 12:35-40
Jesus told his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks: Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

PDF of Orin’s Preaching: “Guard Your Lions”

catholicism, family, JesusJusticeJoy, Justice, ministry, prayer, reflection, scripture, technology

Out of Order

This one time, at work, there was this one photocopier. It worked great! It collated, stapled, scanned, everything I (Orin) needed it to do.

One day I arrived at work, at there was an “out of order” sign hung on it. Asking around, I learned that one of the “feet”, on one corner of the bottom of the copier, has broken, and without it, the whole copier leaned just a little bit in that direction.

“What does that matter?” I asked.

Well, I found out that if the copier wasn’t very close to level, it would put strain on the motor which ran the light across the glass, it would have trouble feeding the paper out of the drawers, the toner might settle in the cartridge, and probably a few other things which have since left my memory.

That is, if the copier’s “foot” was broken, the whole copier fell into disarray and couldn’t function, even if the only issue was that it leaned over an inch or so.

Consider this passage now from Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:20b-26)

There are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.

If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Take some time to reflect today: which part of the body of Christ is suffering today? How de we all suffer because of their suffering? How do we ease that suffering? Hint: it’s not as easy as fixing a broken foot on a photocopier. Where are the issues, and how do we address them? Take it to prayer, and then turn prayer into action.