Joseph F. Radosevich

In all the interviews that I've done with pastor search committees, no one ever asked me,  "How do you practice hospitality?" More than that, they didn't asked about biblical qualifications at all. No committee ever went through 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1 and asked me if and how I was qualified to be a pastor. I've done interviews, questionnaires, video calls, sit down interviews, questions with the whole church, and no one ever asked how I was gentle, self-controlled, not greedy, not overbearing, not quarrelsome, etc.  I was asked about Calvinism a lot, leadership, vision, family, preaching, evangelism, etc. I was once asked if I would lead the church to storm the U.S. Capitol building (I removed myself from consideration from that church). No one asked about being disciplined. I'm not looking or interviewing for a new church. I've been thinking a lot about this lately because I've been evaluating myself and my character in light of those two passages. I ...

We park at the St. Louis Art Museum when we go the St. Louis Zoo because the parking is close and either free or just $15. We took the kids to the museum last year, but mostly we just use the parking. On our last trip, we needed a bathroom on the way out and went in the front door thinking there would be one close by. Instead, we had to trek through the museum to find the bathroom in the new wing of the museum. While we were wandering, we passed a few things of some skill, but we mostly passed lots of trashy art. The rear end of a Ford Crown Victoria with spray paint on it. A pile of shoes. According to my wife, the museum used to have a huge Monet hanging. We didn't see it last time we went. We saw some really good things mixed in with ridiculousness. I'm not sure what the curator is after right now. Don't get me started on the Milwaukee Art Museum.  With visual art, we are at the mercy of our local museum's budget and curator. If they have money and taste, then the mu...

Gardening I harvested red onions to cure in the garage ahead of wet weather this week. The red onions had all fallen over and dried at the neck, so I knew that it was time. We've been using some of them for a few weeks whenever we wanted some for cooking. Books  I'm really enjoying War and Peace and the new Bret Lott book, Gather the Olives . I don't know how different  War and Peace  is from the full version because I don't remember much of what I read before. I got a new book in the mail, Old Testament Parsing Guide . I had to buy the version from 1990 because there aren't many copies available for the updated one volume edition. There must not have been many printed, and most people just use a Bible software for parsing help. My goals for my language learning and my preference to work away from the computer meant I wanted a paper copy. This book is really fun. Along with it, I'm reading Using Old Testament Hebrew in Preaching  by Paul Wegner. Movies We'v...

 I read 1 Cor. 13:1-2 this morning. Here is a version of 1 Cor. 13 applied to myself: If I preach an amazing sermon but don't have love, then I am nothing. If I lead an amazing funeral and everyone tells me that I did a wonderful job but don't have love, then I am nothing. If I lead a growing church but don't have love for others, then I am nothing. If I change my part of the world and many people recognize me but I don't have love, then I am nothing. If I get my way and all my dreams come true but I don't have love, then I am nothing.  If I have tremendous leadership skills and get things done but don't have love, then I am nothing.