Addiction is a horrific disease. I know. I have struggled with it all my life. When I graduated from the seminary I could not stand a closed collar around my neck. I had terrible anxiety attacks. I saw my doctor and he prescribed pills. I have always had trouble with overeating. I had a Slovak grandmother who saw food in the stomach as the way to happiness. I have been a pastor and chaplain for over 40 years. I have walked with people who have been addicted to alcohol, drugs, work, porn and sex. This disease is a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual problem. The people addicted are not …

Some time back, I wrote a column about a shepherd I found on a Joliet street. She was a lady in a bright yellow-green vest. She had a stop sign in her hand and a whistle in her mouth. She was a school crossing guard. This past week I traveled down that same street. There on the corner by the school was my modern-day shepherd. She did not have any sheep. She was surrounded by school children. They were quiet and respectful. They waited patiently for the shepherd to direct and guide them. The whistle blew, the stop sign was held high. Cars stopped and the whistle blew again. A lot of children …

On Monday of this week I was leaving Our Lady of Angels home. My mother is a resident there and I stopped in for a visit. When I walked out the front door, I noticed a lady sitting in the sunshine. She was sitting by my parked car. I said hello and in conversation she told me she is a retired sister. We both commented on the weather. We can always complain about the weather. It is too hot, too cold, wet, damp, raining, snowing, too windy, etc. But on this early spring day the weather was beautiful. I was jealous of this retired nun. She was doing what I wanted so to do. She was in the sun and…

To retire or to keep on working. I have been mulling that over since last Thanksgiving. At 69 I could hang it up. But as I listen to a lot of my contemporaries I am not alone in this conundrum. Work, when you are healthy and enjoy what you do, is not work at all. Work keeps one shar, even though there are more senior moments than there used to be. Work gives life purpose and meaning. I suppose I could find some meaning on the golf course, at the library, having morning coffee with a bunch of other retireeswho are trying to set the world straight or remake it as it was back in the day. If you …

Have you ever noticed how angry people are these days? That anger overflows into the social space and the actions of people in public. Dealing with our anger is becoming more of a problem. The shooting of students by another student in Ohio. Road rage is all around us. We are not a very civil, caring, accepting or forgiving society. The first problem is selfishness and self-centeredness. It is all about me. We do not know how to or we don't want to prioritize our time and other things. The second problem is the example that is set for our children. We teach by our actions that it truly is all…

Who would have thought that a game for kids would have such appeal for adults? I am talking about Hope Lutheran Church's Thursday night dodgeball league. This is definitely a game of war. The teens and adults play for real and they are not gentle in their gaming. The boys play with a fierceness not seen in other things. Balls whizz by at alarming speeds and if struck can cause not a little pain. The girls are a little less sanguine. They seem to support the boys pretty well. It is on the other end of the court that the surprises come. Here moms and dads work out their frustrations. There is a…

In the news recently we have heard about Derek Rose's big toe and Cutler's bum thumb. The loss of these two people to their respective teams can often be devastating. Think of how athletes and others could have, God forbid, catastrophic injury. This could sideline them for a long time or for the ending of their career. But a big toe? A thumb? Isn't life a lot like that? It isn't the big stuff that gets us down, it is the small stuff. When enough of the small stuff happens in our lives it is hard to hear someone say, "Don't sweat the small stuff." We are usually appalled at the news of …

Of heroes and bums, of saints and sinners. I write this on MLK Day. The yes birds and the no birds are already weighing in. I heard a long discussion on Tebow this morning. Much the same kind of thing. For or against? Next month we celebrate the birthdays of the first and 16th presidents of the United States. Again the story is the same. Agreement or disagreement about how great these men were. It seems to me that heroes are just regular people who are normal and who respond to a situation in a moment of need or crisis. How many times in the last 10 years have we not heard of soldiers in war …

Jan. 1, 2012 Happy New Year! As I sit at the computer to write this, I feel the way I felt as a hospital chaplain. The time was hectic, the time was rushed, death or severe trauma or sickness had occurred. I was tired and wiped out. So, I would steal away to a favorite place of peace and quiet, the window looking in on the nursery. There the little ones inpink and blue hats rested in their bassinets. These very new and young children were hope and life giving to an old and tired and depressed chaplain. That is the way I feel about the approach of a new year. Yes, the bills will come, taxes …

The season is upon us. There is white frost in the morning and the mention of that four-letter word snow in the forecast. There is another word associated with this season. Prepare!!! Ever since John the Baptizer announced the approach of the Kingdom, mankind has been preparing. This is my 68th Christmas and for at least 63 of them I have been preparing. There are decorations to be put up, only to be taken down a week later. Food to buy and prepare, and parties to have and to attend. Presents to buy and wrap only to see all the beautiful wrapping go out to the garbage. There is so much to do …

O Give thanks to the Lord for he is good and His mercy endures forever. The day is a day of national Thanksgiving. It is about giving thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. The nation we live in. Even with all its warts our nation is still the best there is. It is looking across the table laden with a feast to feed an army and being thankful for one another. It is about friends and family. But, it ought not be just one day out of 365. Daily we should be thankful and live thankfully. Remember those who will not have a table laden with goodies, whose home was foreclosed on, who do not have warm …

In my line of work I hear many things. One of the most frequent things is the reason why so many people do not attend church. There are a myriad of excuses that people use to not attend church. But what everyone misses is the fact that sometimes the communion of saints is also the congregation of sinners. Sometimes the church, people, have to shoulder some of the blame. All churches claim pure doctrine of one sort or other. All churches have a system of imparting that doctrine. But most churches offend people by the lifestyle of the congregants that is not in synch with doctrines being taught…

I am an American. I work, own a home, have raised a family, and am now watching my grandchildren grow up. I am the grandson of immigrants and the son of a veteran. I have a son who served in the United States Marine Corps. My father did not talk much about his WWII experiences but he did instill in me a love of country, a respect for law and a faith in God. Today, when we hear the national anthem and when we see the flag flying, let us take a moment to thank all those who served and all those who are presently serving. My freedom to write this and my freedom to live and worship as I want has …

Those autumn leaves float by my window, the autumn leaves of red and gold. Where has the time gone. First there was snow and cold. Then cold and snow. Then cold and dampness. Then came the heat and humidity of summer. The other night I smelled the smoke of a fireplace. Time flies and the weather is heading into winter and the holiday season. The older I get the faster time seems to go. There is more to do and there never seems to be enough time. My grandchildren are growing, they have gone back to school and the fall schedule is in full swing. Time, that elusive thing that keeps going at an …

When my grandparents came to America in the early 1900s they knew no English. They went to work, bought a house, and kept their language and their customs in their home and their church. They did not insist thay everyone learn Slovak, they learned English. They did not insist that all become Slovak Lutheran, they accepted the different faiths of those around them. Now we face the 10th anniversary of an event that took the lives of many Americans. These acts were part of religious war against Americans and Christians and Jews. As a Christian pastor I know that not all Muslims are Jihadists. …

Why do bad things happen to good people? How often in our lives have we asked that question? I and my son have a friend. He is a good guy. He is a fireman. Many times he has put his life on the line for others. Now he is at Loyola Medical Center fighting a battle for his own life. In 40 years of ministry I have been asked and have myself asked this question countless times. I confess I do not have the answer. If I had the answer to that question I would write the book and take my golf clubs and retire. The one thing I know for sure is that when God allows suffering he promises the strength to…

All too often people pass through our lives and our community unnoticed. One such person is the retiring chief of police of Shorewood. Bob Puleo is a quiet and unassuming man. He has served t his community faithfully for man years. He has good times and bad times here. Such is the life of a police officer. Bob Puleo has never backed away from his responsibilities. He has always had the good of the community at heart. He grew a professional police department from just a few officers to today's present police force. He retires with many memories on the job. I for one wish him well. I invite all…

Time flies when you are having fun! We are people who are very aware of time. We wear watches, the radio gives us the time, Comcast has the time every time we change the channel. When you are young time drags. The 12-year-old who wants to be 16 so he can go to drivers' ed and get a license. The 19-year-old who wants to be 21 so he can go into a restaurant or bar and have a drink. Time flies. We kill time. We do not like to wait, for that wastes time. We schedule our lives to the max and then wonder why we don't have time or where did the time go. We read the obituaries and realize that time …

As a parish pastor I come into contact with the concept of the shepherd often. Pastor means shepherd. The 23rd Psalm says, "The Lord is my shepherd." Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd. But in an urban society I do not think that most of us have ever met a shepherd. In fact, many of us have never seen a sheep. A week or so ago, before school was out, I was driving west on Glenwood. I was approaching the school. I slowed to 20 miles per hour and saw the student crossing guards. Also on the corner across fromt he school was an adult crossing guard who could have been anyones grandmother. A…

I have just returned from a week off. I went to South Carolina for some golf and warm weather. Every year some of my parishioners and I journey 1,000 miles to play golf at Myrtle Beach. It is a long trip by car (I don't fly) and it gives one a chance to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. The plains, the hills, the valleys, the mountains and the coastal plain are beautiful. It is truly a time to rest, refresh, reinvent ones self. A vacation is not rest of you need another vacation to recover. Take some time. Sit alone. Look at the sky, the clouds, the plants and the animals. Get a new view …