Lord of Life,

I cannot believe I am wrapping up my internship. I know I’m transitioning into new chapters of life, as I am newly married, Justin and I are consolidating our finances, and I’m moving back to Louisville for at least the Summer, but hard for my brain to register that I am now at the end of my time with you all. The office is planning events that I will not be around to attend. Parishioners are seeking me to ask about my next steps and give me well wishes.  

Perhaps I’ve disconnected my next chapters with the reality that I am turning a page away from old ones. Yes, I’m moving to Louisville. Yes, I’ll have a new call. But leaving Lord of Life? “No,” I’d like to think, but I am. 

Sitting on a zoom call with seminary folks, discussing how to end the internship, a brief moment made ending internship feel too rough. Someone told us, interns, “Don’t sugarcoat. Don’t say I’ll see you all again. For most of these people, you won’t.” I think that’s why I have a hard time believing that the internship is ending. I’m too invested in the office group chat. I like my routine of Mondays being either men’s Bible study or “Let’s Talk About Race” discussion group. I’ve enjoyed teaching and goofing off with confirmation teens way too much to not be around for the rest of their adolescence, to see them become amazing adults and celebrate their accomplishments. Not indoctrinating Lord of Life young adults on Appalachia Service Project (ASP) this summer with Kentucky Pride sounds too terrible to be true. And I love telling y’all rad stories about my awesome grandparents in my sermons. 

But that’s where I’m at. I attended my last “Let’s Talk About Race” discussion. I attended my last men’s Bible study. I will not be on ASP this summer. Staff will create a new group chat without me (but the current one will still exist for meme trading purposes). Confirmands that I’ve taught will be confirmed in my absence. 

It’s no wonder a little bit of me is in denial. I like y’all too much. Though I’m excited to walk through open doors, it is with sadness that I’m closing doors behind me. So yes, while I know my internship is coming to an end, and my last Sunday is in three days (Holy cow, three days!) it still feels a bit unbelievable. But Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 reminds me to embrace this moment of transition, “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” In my departure, God is fusing together weeping, laughing, mourning, and dancing.

This fusion of emotions is testimony to the amazing people of Lord of Life. This church really is a place of vibrancy with the Holy Spirit moving in and through this congregation. So many hands go into making ministry possible, from fellowship events to mission trips, from worship to learning, from care ministry to advocacy.  

Thank you, Lord of Life, for your ministry and all you have given me these past two years,

Pastor Alec Brohnson, Seminary Intern

“Grace for today,” my favorite coffee cup and a reminder that I constantly need. It allows me to take a deep breath as I start the day and just for a quiet moment reflect on God’s amazing grace that sustains me always. Thoughts of the dear friend that gave it to me ground me in the knowledge that I am surrounded by community that holds me close and lifts me up.

I knew that I had taken a picture of this cup to send to my friend to show her that it brought me comfort on many days. When I did a search for coffee cups in my photo gallery to find the picture for the blog, I discovered several other “cup” moments that highlighted how precious it can be to take those moments by yourself or to savor time with family and friends. There were the unique coffee mugs at the beach house with family, my mom at my brother’s wedding, a girl’s weekend away which may have involved a variety of cups, etc. Try it, what “cup” moments might you savor or bring a smile from your gallery?

For the past couple of years, I feel like I need to supersize my coffee cup at times. Not just for the liquid gold that gives me a pick-me-up, but for a respite from the constant ups and downs of our world and life. Balancing the peaceful moments with the stress that I feel over the discourse in our country, the war in Ukraine, the consequences and future concerns of COVID, the weight of the work needed to be done to right injustice and help those in need. In addition to everyday stresses of house maintenance, the endless “to do” list, what to have for dinner, and having to play tambourine on video with talented musicians, just to name a few. I need to be reminded that there are things I can do and things that I need to put in God’s hands. There will be enough grace for all.

Jesus reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount that If we take a moment to consider how beautifully God clothes the flowers in the fields, we will recall God’s care for us. Considering the lilies reminded them, and reminds us today, how close God is. I almost feel that God should be having a cup of coffee when he is speaking. He knows what we need and what we need to be reminded of.

Truth is, I am not sure I really love coffee, but I love the feeling it brings especially on the day when my favorite cup is clean again and ready for new inspiration and a reminder of God’s unending grace. Is there something that grounds you in faith and is a needed reminder that God will always be there, giving you grace, love, and peace? 

Raising my cup for you and praying we all feel God’s grace today.

God’s peace always,

Angie Seiller, Director of Faith Formation

Today is Cinco de Mayo! While we’ve enjoyed a handful of days that feel like they hint at the coming of summer, we’ve had quite a few more that seem to be holding us in spring, maintaining our “April Showers,” or even dragging us back to winter. There are days like Tuesday when it seems like the weather has a vendetta against us as the rain becomes torrential and the tornado warnings flash on our phones. On days like today, there is a nip in the air I usually associate with fall, but I’d rather look forward to the summer when I can reliably keep my shoes off and my shorts on and spend most of my time outside in my garden or working on my house. 

I’ve experienced a lot of similar “seasonal” changes in my life recently. In 2019, I turned 40. In 2020, along with the rest of the world, I experienced a global pandemic, which allowed me to somewhat ignore my quickly graying hair and beard (if you haven’t noticed, thank “Just for Men” and my nephew for confusing me with my dad too many times on Zoom). This year, I went on blood pressure medication. I finally caught COVID myself, had my first colonoscopy, and have a CT scan to measure calcium buildup in my arteries because of my high cholesterol and family history of heart disease. I understand why they say 40 is “over the hill.” Sometimes it seems like it is really all downhill from here. 

But I don’t think it is. I’m older, but I’m also a lot more settled into who I am. I have a much more clear sense of what is important and what isn’t, and because of that, I enjoy a lot more of my life than I did when I was younger and trying to figure myself out.

Over the past several months, I’ve been leading the Women at the Well through a series of Psalms and how they relate to the hymns and songs we sing in church. During most of our time together, I’ve used the Psalms and hymns that relate to the season we’ve been celebrating in the church year. In Advent, we patiently waited for the coming of Jesus, praying from Psalm 80, “Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.”

At Christmas, we celebrated Jesus’ birth by proclaiming Psalm 96, “Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.” 

During the season after Christmas, Epiphany, we took time to rest and renew ourselves with Psalm 29, “The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.” As we looked toward the crucifixion during Lent, we took comfort in Psalm 27, “Though an army should encamp against me, yet my heart shall not be afraid.”

As the seasonal changes in weather, the Psalms take us on a journey that can mirror our personal experiences. Written from thousands of years of relationship with God, and sometimes from a terrible and dark place, they still paint a picture of a people who know who they are and to whom they belong.

The Women at the Well Psalms and Hymns program is over, but if you’d like to take a journey with the Psalms, you can find the videos of the sessions on our Facebook page. You can also read them directly from the Bible, or you can go to www.lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu each week to see what the Psalm for the week is so you can take a journey through our church year along with us.

Yours in Christ,

John Johns, Music Director

Next week would have been my father’s 100^th birthday. I started thinking about how he influenced my life. Like many men raised in the south during the depression, he had a strong sense of family responsibilities paired with a guiding faith and a commitment to the communities in which he lived and worked. He instilled those values in me. I can’t remember if I ever said “thank you” to him for the way I was raised, but I know that how I live now, following his examples, he would be proud.

The church was important to my father. He proudly gave his time, talent, and funds to support St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Blacksburg, Virginia and its many activities. This was where I was baptized, confirmed, and married - and where our first child was baptized. Growing up, I watched him give his weekly offering envelope to financially support the ongoing church missions and commit to the growth of the physical space. I can close my eyes and see him ushering on Sunday mornings, mowing the church lawn, counting offerings, leading church council, repairing the church parsonage, serving on search teams, and welcoming incoming pastors and their families. These are examples that I look to emulate in my commitment to Lord of Life.  

As I look back on those memories, I see how others express their thoughts about fathers and ‘father figures’ in their lives. On Palm Sunday, Pastor Alec reflected on how when he was young he would attempt to emulate his father in various ways. As we traveled in the Holy Land, I saw the father-child relationships played out not only within our group (a father-son from LOL and also two families from Advent Lutheran that brought their children on the journey), but also in the daily lives of those living in Israel. Back here at home, I see the fathers at soccer games, encouraging their sons and daughters. I see them holding their small child and consoling them. I hear them proudly talking about the successes and achievements of their children. I watch them singing with their children during worship services and I see the patience as they teach their children. 

Just like my father, all of us are called to serve in many different ways. As we move out of the COVID-19 worship and learning environment and begin the tasks of holding regular services, opening our facilities to various community and outreach organizations, and completing the planned community space, we have work to do. Look around, see what needs to be done, and find your way to contribute to the Lord of Life mission to Live, Share and Celebrate with All People God’s Love in Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for your contributions to this community. We wouldn’t be the same without you and all that you have to offer. Your generosity changes lives and makes a difference now and in the future.

Yours in Christ,

Denise Krallman, Council President

Have I told y’all that I’m getting married soon? Just kidding. I know I have. And if you’re not keeping track like me, it’s in 9 days. I’m fairly confident some people in my life are tired of me mentioning it. I have accepted that it is my personality until the day arrives . . . and then some more. That’s what’s expected though, right?

What’s ironic about that though is that while Justin and I are continuously planning logistics, Justin doesn’t make a big hype about our wedding day. At least, he doesn’t have the same hype as he does for us being married. Nearly every day he brings up his excitement for us to be finally living together, as he daydreams of what all can be and will be for our lives together. “Oh the places WE will go, and the things WE will do,” would be his book title if he was Dr. Seuss. It’s sweet to join him in his excitement for our marriage, as it reminds me that if all of the planning goes sideways, it’s okay because I’ll be married. With all the stress that comes with planning, it can be easy for me to forget why I’m doing all the things I’m doing - running errands, making lists, etc.

I wonder how much of life is like that? Constantly being in motion and needing to be reminded of why we are doing the things we’re doing. Life can easily be draining if we forget why we do the things we do. Life can also be unsatisfying if our day-to-day normal is completely disconnected from what would give us meaning in our lives. Oftentimes, we find ourselves in these scenarios. We find ourselves in jobs that leave us feeling vanquished than empowered. We’re constantly on the “go go go” that we do not stop and appreciate why that is - friends and family, aspirations.

Perhaps every once in a while we should take an inventory. Kind of like the KonMari method of organizing physical clutter, which is basically holding stuff in your hand and if it doesn’t spark joy, throw it out. I’m not simply talking about physical objects, but about life as a whole.

When thinking of centering ourselves with what sparks joy and gives our day-to-day lives meaning, my mind leaps to the gospel of Luke (my favorite gospel). In Luke’s narrative, Jesus’s ministry is largely centered around meals. Through meals, Jesus focalized fellowship, teaching, and creating personal connections. I like to think of those meals as an inventory moment of Jesus holding what gives him joy, basking in why he’s traveling throughout communities of faith sharing the Kingdom of God to a famished world. It’s so relatable, as we sit down at dinner tables with our parents, spouse, friends, and/or kids, and we come to know why we do some of the things we do too. Similarly, as a church we gather at the communion table every Sunday, remembering that we are one body in Christ, living for each other.

Place parts of your life into your hands. What gives you joy? What’s worthy of being thrown out? What is life-giving? What creates meaning? What’s draining? Obviously, realities and people are not the same as objects. You cannot throw out your most frustrating relative. But through taking inventory we can decenter what leaves us feeling debilitated and create room for the forgotten things that give us joy.

Your sibling in Christ,

Pastor Alec Brock, Seminary Intern

I love Easter. Every year, we travel to be with family for a celebration. For my in-laws, Easter is “the big one;” the main annual family gathering. Everyone comes together. And there is a good reason: candy. Easter has the best candy of any holiday, period. Jellybeans, Cadbury Crème Eggs, Peeps, chocolate bunnies, candy-coated almonds, chicks, bunnies, and those carrot-shaped bags of Reese’s Pieces. Easter candy is unrivaled. That’s what Easter is all about, right? A bunch of little kids (and me), all jacked up on sugar, battling a tummy ache, and smiling the whole time. So much joy. Is Easter about candy? No. But it is about joy, so also yes.  

Often, when we talk about the time Jesus spent in the desert before he began his public ministry, our focus is on the tempter. But Matthew 4:11 tells us of others who were there: his shepherds. 

“Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.”  

Jesus’ time in the desert was one of preparation. This January I took a giant leap into the world of ministry and entered study at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. I am being prepared for a life of ministry. I view seminary in many ways as my desert, a place of preparation. Thankfully, I’m with shepherds, not tempters, but it is my desert, nonetheless. In this season of rebirth, this year specifically, Easter and our family celebration has a special meaning. Thursday will be the end of my first semester. 2022 has been a year of rebirth for me, and this Easter will be an emotional one. We are heading out of town to be with family like we always have, but this trip may well be my last. By next year, duties at a church might interfere with my ability to travel and I’ll be a semester away from my internship placement. I am being prepared for a great change. I am saddened by the possibility of missing the party, and yet this change fills me, like too many jellybeans, with so much joy.

Pastor Rick. That sounds very strange to me, but that will be my reality once I am ordained.  The process of listening to the Holy Spirit and choosing to be guided by it has revealed to me that becoming a pastor is what I need to do. This is not what I thought I was going to do even when I began studying, but it has become clear to me that I am being guided to this place, in this time, to live into that mission. God has revealed to me that working in ministry is making me happy in ways I’ve never imagined. So much joy.

As we enter Easter weekend, I wonder, what is Easter for you? Is it the joy of an Easter basket full of treats? Is there trepidation, sorrow? Easter hits all of us in a unique way, and all should be honored. I pray that each and every one of you has a joyous and peace-filled Easter and that the Holy Spirit is there as your shepherd. While my transformation has been visible, dramatic, and (at least at Lord of Life) very public, we are all, all of us, all of you, a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Have a wonderful Easter and enjoy your candy.

Pax,

Richard Ponton, Lord of Life seminarian