Move your cursor anywhere in the right half of the picture - you'll see a right-hand arrow. Click it to go to the next slide. In the left half, click the left-hand arrow to go back. OR choose a slide on the orange-and-gray bar at the bottom.

We've been married since 1975. She's a Registered Nurse, and a wonderful person all around.

Our three adult kids are in there somewhere, along with two of their spouses and our three grandsons in the front row.

I serve the people of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Lodi, Ohio, as their Pastor.

Pastoral Caring is about Baptisms, weddings, funerals; visits of all kinds; worship services; Holy Communion; holidays and special occasions. But Caring is about being with and among the people God loves, and learning to love them like He does.

I do a lot of listening to people. Sometimes I have answers; sometimes I have questions. Sometimes I tell them "I don't know what to say," and they say "That's OK, Pastor, I just needed someone to listen."

Teaching happens in classrooms or from the pulpit; in groups or crowds or one-on-one. But in order for me to be a good teacher, I have to be a good learner. That doesn't only mean I have to hit the books, but I have been mentored over the years by some of the best - and keep going back to them. But the best teacher of all is the One I hope I have the best relationship with - the God who is pleased that I should call Him Father.

I joke that some people like to have their ducks in a row; others are happy to have their ducks in a pond; but if you go into my office I'm just thrilled to say "Wow! Here's a duck!" Still, there's a lot of planning to do here at Christ the King so that we can grow together as the family God intends us to be. But there are a lot of great folks around here to make things happen, too, so we have fun doing it all together.

Those were the things I do. But they don't tell you much about who I am. If you don't mind, let's go a little deeper, shall we?

Have you noticed that the giggles of children are the same in every language? That it's pretty easy to get them giggling? And that all but the most hardened adults will at least smile when a child laughs?

The laughter of a child has the power to break through almost any cloud and dry almost any tear. It's pretty darn close to the Gospel in a small package.

When God finished creating the whole world, He leaned back and said to Himself, "Self, this is all very good!" And I can well imagine Him with this kind of big smile on His face.

When grandparents smile like this, especially as they're talking about their grandchildren, I think of God.

I wonder if this is the kind of picture Jesus had in mind when He told us to pray starting with the words "Our Father . . ." This is the way I know the Father thinks of me - and I never tire of telling people that I know that this is the way He thinks of you, too.

Can you see the feelings in this picture? The mom's feelings about her child, and the child's feelings about being in the arms of the mom? A good friend once gave me a picture like this with Jesus in the place of the mom and said it reminded her of me. She meant she thought I was like Jesus, filled with playful joy over his children; I thought she meant Jesus was filled with playful joy over me, His child. Either way, it changed the way I see myself - and most other people, too.

Henri Nouwen's "Return of the Prodigal Son"; Timothy Keller's "Our Prodigal God"; Miroslav Volf's "Exclusion and Embrace" - all of them wondrous invitations to celebrate the homecoming we have into the arms of the Father who welcomes us without question, without shame and without accusation. He just welcomes us home in love, and calls for a party!

This is what God is about - this is what He has done for me - and this is what I try to tell others.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Elder Brother (who has remained faithful and dutiful while the Younger Brother has been off sowing his wild oats) is resentful and judgmental when the Younger returns.
I am the oldest of 3 children; I've been the responsible one, the one of whom it was said to siblings and cousins, "why can't you be more like Chris?" It's a lot to live up to, and I've worn myself out trying (personally and professionally). So, I just don't try anymore. Instead . . .

I think, like Nouwen was told in "Return of the Prodigal Son", that this is becoming my true calling. I'm not great at it yet - I'm not consistent at it yet - but people are telling me that they see it in me. A reflection of the Father's face. An echo of His voice. A shadow of His manner. And because I am this way with them, perhaps they will know that God is, too.

The four-year-olds at my church just call me "Jesus."

None of the foregoing is true because I'm so terrific. I just put those there because I thought you might like to know me a little better. The long and short is - this is the most important slide in this deck! Jesus has welcomed me to sit next to Him, friend next to friend, This is the image I return to every day, and I thank God for it all the time.

That's Chris Cahill