brakes

Are you a “maybe someday” person? Do you have a “maybe someday” list?

Maybe someday I’ll get new brakes for the car.

Maybe someday I’ll finish that degree.

Maybe someday I’ll go to the doctor and ask about that lump.

Maybe someday I’ll reach out to make amends.

Maybe someday I’ll take a cruise.

I’m not entirely a “maybe someday” type of a person, but there are plenty of scenarios that I push down the road to a time when there will be more hours in a day, more money in the bank, and more energy in my heart to begin or accomplish a certain something. Maybe someday.

Several friends – including some of you – have been an inspiration when you tackle stuff immediately. You schedule the brake job, finish the degree, talk to your doctor, explore the forgiveness option, and book the cruise. You move through life with a Larry the Cable Guy attitude, “Let’s get ‘er done!”

Even more than that, some of you are “early adopters.” You embrace new technology, invest in new ideas and patterns, and jump at the chance to try something new. Others wait it out, but early adopters live into the future now.

Lord of Life is an early adopter kind of a community. Long before “contemporary worship” was being discussed in Lutheran circles, Lord of Life used a variety of instruments and styles in worship. From our beginning, we’ve opened our building to outside groups and created time and space for community organizations to assemble. We have a long history of engaging issues of addiction and mental health as linked to our spirituality. Rather than circle in ourselves, Lord of Life has invested dollars and hands in our local, regional, and global ministry partners, extending the living, sharing, and celebrating of our Christian faith to all people.

This year has forced us to be early adopters in new areas, too. Over the last seven months, our exceptional staff has figured out how to make worship and ministry connections happen beyond our building. Online worship, virtual meetings and Bible studies, along with an alternative model of Vacation Bible School (VBS) were “maybe someday” ministry elements which were thrust to the forefront with COVID precautions and restrictions. All of these new virtual tasks and many more have been added to the already full plates of our ministry team.

As we look to the coming year, one of the areas of focus for growing our mission spending plan for 2021 includes “The Future Of Ministry Excellence.” This not only includes first fruits giving to our ministry partners and a cost of living raise for the Lord of Life staff who work tirelessly to help us live out our mission, but also a new part-time Digital Ministry Coordinator to help Lord of Life sustain high quality online worship and faith formation experiences. This person will also supplement and enhance our in-person experiences.

As we have seen during the pandemic, the way we worship has changed. Thank you for adapting and continuing to support our ministries. Your generosity has allowed us to remain connected while socially-distant and has also expanded our digital ministry footprint, reaching people for whom “Maybe someday I’ll reconnect with church” has become a reality!

Thank you for following Jesus – the first early adopter of all things that truly matter – love, forgiveness, joy, and hope. We love, because he first loved us.

Someday is today!

Pastor Lowell