Eric Needle

Blessed Advent! Today I headed out of town and was stopped at a railroad crossing by our local train!  Thanks so much to the good folks at the railroad who send these long, long trains through town. The newspaper reported that they never have enough engine power to make it up the next hill, so the train eventually stops, stalls and traffic is blocked until another engine can be sent. Now, I don’t know very...

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a fellow colleague-ordained in the ELCA and married almost 60 years serving in Crawfordsville, Indiana and the surrounding area. In greeting his widow I asked her about how her life and how she is doing given this loss. She described how the timing had been helpful to have her two out of state children and grandchildren around for Thanksgiving and this weekend. After such a tragedy as the...

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The letter was on yellow stationary and was a collection letter warning! My doctor must be tight on funds to work so hard sending me stuff, I was waiting to make sure the insurance company did what they are supposed to do. It’s so hard to check a medical bill against insurance, have all the info in front of you and go through the rig-a-ma-roll of making the phone call....

Greetings! One of the many blessings of a daily commute is satellite radio! It’s really a great bonus and if your car is equipped for it, I highly recommend it. They are not very expensive and you have over 120 channels of all the news you can handle, music of every shape and size, comedy channels, and sports channels. There is even an audio book channel where you can listen to people read great books...

I have been hard at work for weeks, on and off, on my certification materials to become a Board Certified Chaplain.  Writing 4 essays on 27 aspects of my  ministry, a replay and evaluation of two different patient encounters, rounding up letters of recommendation, and a 4 page autobiography has taken a lot of my time! In addition, I have to provide copies of my credentials, transcripts from college and Seminary, evaluations from 4 units...

It was a lovely wedding ceremony centered in a lovely converted dining room in a historic building located in an old historic town.  I didn’t know the couple very well, I was asked to perform the service through a friend.  Family and friends gathered, the room was decorated and everything was ready.  I asked the couple to take a relationship survey and they scored extremely high.  They were meant for each other, and very happy...

All Saints Day will be celebrated in many churches Sunday. Falling on the first Sunday in November, it is a day to recognize all the saints that have gone before us. Many churches will light candles in honor of the members of the church who have died in the past year and remember them and their families in prayer. In our Lutheran tradition we understand ourselves to be both “saint and sinner” at the same...

She doesn’t like me, I’m convinced.  I try to do what she says and follow instructions, but I seem to always mess up.  It could be at the very beginning of our time together or at the very end.  I am not that quick to do what she wants even though I try.  I work it out to make it easy for both of us but she has this uncanny ability to know.  She always...

Good Morning Everyone! Are you stressed today?  Feeling overwhelmed, anxious and worried?  It’s okay to feel these things stress follows us all around.  We’ve all read about the “flight or fight” syndrome our bodies and minds go through when stress comes.  According to www.dictionary.com the word is defined as “a specific response by the body to a stimulus”, or “physical, mental, emotional strain or tension.”  A quick Google search with the word “Stress” yields over...

Hi Friends: I am not ashamed of my age, I’m 54! I will, however and take note, be 55 soon and very soon!!! (I am very pleased to remind you I “act” much, much younger of course!). Late last week I was at a local retail store and the cashier (who looked like she was 10 or 11) said “I gave you the discount” as she rang up my purchase. “Oh”, I said ever so...

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ! Decolores! Messiah Lutheran Church, Brownsburg, Indiana celebrated 50 years of ministry yesterday. I served there from 2000-2005 and was one of several pastors who returned to a worship service and a luncheon. It was neat to be back and see so many old friends and dear people. As is often the case, a Sunday morning hymn lyric will stick with me all day. Yesterday it was a hymn...

Brothers and Sisters in Christ-this is a weekly devotional thought I sent out to the hospital where I work as chaplain. I went shopping for a battery this weekend.  Pretty boring, huh?  My grass trimmer do-hickey won’t last more than 3 minutes or so and my brother has offered me one of his batteries as a replacement.  But he lives 90 minutes from me and I don’t want to wait so I go out on...