It’s that time of year. If your social media feeds are like mine, they are full of photos of kids heading back to school. From little ones holding chalkboards proclaiming their very first day of school, to the nervous smiles of college freshmen crammed in the only space left in the family minivan, students everywhere are preparing for another year. For many, it’s been over a year since they’ve been in a classroom, having opted for virtual learning during what we hope was the worst of the pandemic.

The back to school season is a time when we offer advice and assurances to the students in our lives. As little ones jump out of the car in the drop-off lane, we exclaim one last reminder to “use your words” or “share.” Older students get help gathering homework, instruments, and sports equipment as they dash out the door for the bus or carpool, with a shouted “Have a great day!” Tearful parents steal one last hug in the dormitory doorway, whispering “get enough sleep,” “eat a vegetable once in a while,” or “you’ve got this.”

For as long as my daughter has had her driver’s license, I’ve always told her “love you” and “drive safely” when she heads out to work or a friend’s house. Sometimes it was met with an eye roll or a snort of scorn. Often, she replied with a laugh “I was going to drive recklessly, but since you asked, I won’t.” I finally told her one day that I trust her driving, it’s really just a way to say “I love you” again. Isn’t that really what all those words of advice and encouragement are? They’re just another way to give our beloved kiddos a way to remember how much we love them. 

As a community of faith, we don’t just share these words of affirmation and encouragement with the youngsters in our immediate family. At each baptism, we welcome the newly baptized into the body of Christ, as a fellow family member. It is so gratifying to see all the ways our community supports the children and youth who come through our doors. There are so many folks who share their talents and time to keep our youth programs running: Sunday School teachers, junior high retreat chaperones, Advent craft coordinators, Christmas pageant supervisors, and so many more. Just as important as the many folks who fill formal roles are the many who offer informal support: taking the time between services to share a smile and listen with interest to the latest happenings in a young person’s life. Our building is home to a preschool, tutoring opportunities, and many scout troops. It’s just another way to let kids know that they are important to us; they are important to God. 

Ultimately, we all want to know we are worthy, we matter, we are enough. Yes, we all matter, because we are all God’s children, “children of the same heavenly Father, and fellow workers in the kingdom of God.” God calls each of us by name, equips us for the journey, and sends us out.

Working beside you,

Cara

In between. That’s where we find ourselves: in between summer and fall, in between COVID restrictions loosening and tightening, in between projects as part of our Share the Light capital campaign, and more! Thank you for standing in this liminal space with me and praying for our congregation and community during these days of looking ahead.

The word “liminal” comes from the Latin root, limen, which means “threshold.” Richard Rohr says,

“Liminality is a form of holding the tension between one space and another.” It is the space in between, a crossing over.

As I write, one of my favorite artists, John August Swanson (www.johnaugustswanson.com), is in a liminal space between this life and the next. Following a time of hospice, he is standing on the edge of returning to God.

If you have ever been in my office, then you’ve seen his vibrant painting “Festival of Lights” hovering over my desk. Swanson writing about the painting comments, “It is a dark night with a star-filled sky. Tiny lights are seen on the distant hillsides, gradually becoming figures carrying candles as they come closer to the foreground of the painting… I thought about liturgical processions I had seen. I remembered walking with groups in candlelight for peace in Central America. The symbol of candles shining in the dark night is powerful to me. Star-filled nights are images that help give me a sense of the place we are in the universe.” Our little lights are magnified when the Spirit of God draws us together to love and care for our neighbors and world.

Each year, the ELCA hosts a convention for all those who work in youth ministry. The four-day event includes everyone from full-time youth workers and pastors to volunteer parents and young adults who are passionate about sharing the unconditional love of Jesus with children and teens.

Last winter, youth ministry veteran, Tiger McLuen, offered a session named, “11 Phrases that May Save Your Ministry.” His list included:

Hope is Not a Strategy
Vagueness is Killing the Church
Get Curious
Slow Down
Name the Issue
Love the One You're With
Change is Never Neutral
Make the Circle Bigger
Fight Casual Holiness
It's a Lifestyle - Not a Job!
Always believe in the significance of the insignificant

I’ve been sitting with these phrases for six months now, trying to implement them into my ministry and life, but also keep imagining what the world would look like if we adopted them beyond our church. Think of the transformation that would happen in our own lives, homes, and communities if we enabled these in every facet of our days and stepped deeper into knowing and loving one another?

As we stand at this liminal moment, I pray that we can be fearless bridge-builders. During this season of already, but not yet, this threshold is exhilarating for some and anxiety-inducing for others. We don't know what the coming days hold, but we trust that God has brought us to this moment and promises to walk with us into the uncertain future. To sweeten the deal, God gives us the gift of one another. Let’s stand together in faith, hope, and love.

Living, sharing, and celebrating boldly with all,

Pastor Lowell

Last week, I woke up with the urge to play Into the Unknown by Panic! at the Disco. You may know of the song as part of the Frozen 2 soundtrack, and if you do not know the song, feel free to search it out and listen! In the moment, I did not think of why I felt the need to listen to the song. But as I jammed out to the song on repeat, I realized that I will soon be jumping into the unknown in a variety of ways.

As a seminary intern, my time at Lord of Life is limited, so I have been tasked with looking ahead. My fiance and I went to Cleveland not only for summer vacation, but to try on the city and see if it would be a great fit for our next move, and for us to lay down some roots. I can now say that I love the Great Lakes, and that I can see us in the Cleve. But will I end up in Cleveland? Maybe. Though I loved my stay, my first call could be anywhere, which is a little terrifying. Upon returning to work, I had to renew my apartment lease with a firm end date, which meant I had to figure out a precise end date for my internship with Lord of Life. Cleveland or someplace else is arriving quickly.

Similarly, I’m getting married in a year. I heard from somewhere, “marriage isn’t the end of a love story, but is the beginning of a new story.” Though exciting and full of blessings, I’d add that marriage is the beginning of a mysterious journey! I find joy in the knowledge that my life will be deeply intertwined with my fiance’s, as scripture says “two become one.” But I’m also aware that we don’t say “with you for better or worse” because we know how the journey will play out. We have ideas, but we say those words in the knowledge that marriage can take us to some unexpected places. 

I suppose it’s no wonder how I can easily jam out to Into the Unknown. I’ll be diving into the unknown a lot. Into the unknown is life. I can see myself jumping into the unknown in the near future, but life spontaneously pulls us into the unknown all of the time, in the most exciting, joyful, terrifying, and heart-wrenching ways.

Being cognizant of the unknown as part of life’s reality pushes us to prepare for the unexpected. It also calls us to be cautious. In excess, if you’re a fan of certainty and predictability, it can be paralyzing as you may prolong decision-making in order to stay where you are. But if you can sit with the full reality of the unknown in your brain, think of all the joys and sorrows it may bring, Christ’s lesson in Matthew 6 becomes deeply relevant. 

“Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.” Matthew 6:27-28. I don’t think Jesus speaks of the lilies to say God will always provide and you will have zero scarcity- a common ethos behind the vague “God will provide.” Christ knows of scarcity, pain, and suffering in the world. Rather, Christ is aware that there is much in life that we cannot foresee. Jesus knows that “unknown” and “life” are synonymous. We cannot run or hide from the unknown, thus, we must accept it as a part of life. 

Jesus’s lesson ends with, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”-Matthew 6:34. Will my career path take me back to my old Kentucky home, or drop me into a cool city like Cleveland? I hope so, but I don’t know. Technically, it could take me to Alaska. Perhaps I’ll get lucky and end up in the US Virgin Islands. Will Justin and I have the most blissful marriage with no internal or external struggles to ever weigh us down? Doubtful. Will one of us die unexpectedly and the other be left as a young widower? Also doubtful (thank God), but technically not impossible. All possibilities play out in my head.

So I accept the unknown, unforeseeable, and unpredictable as a reality of life. Without acceptance, life would be stagnant at best, as I would be reluctant to move forward in life. So I take a deep breath and step forward. Or as Dory says in Finding Nemo, “just keep swimming.” The lilies do not stop growing in anticipation that soil erosion or drought will wipe them out. They simply grow as the blessings of God shine the sun’s light on them, and the clouds provide nourishing rain for them. Life is day by day. So is ours as we cannot see beyond tall hills and windy curves. I’d also add that though life is unpredictable if we take a step back and look at the vast expanse of God’s creation, it ultimately lives into resurrection. 

Taking a deep breath, stepping into the unknown, keeping on swimming, 

Pastor Alec Brock, Seminary Intern (he, him, his)

If you haven’t been in the Lord of Life sanctuary recently, get here! Over the last year, a whole host of skilled professionals have used their expertise to transform our worship space one step at a time. Pipefitters, concrete professionals, electricians, drywall installers, carpenters, and painters each harnessed their craft as part of our Share the Light sanctuary renewal. (By the way, if you haven’t made your mark on the floor, you better get to it. The carpet is scheduled to be laid the week of August 9! If you can’t come and do it in person, reach out to the church office and we’ll be sure to have someone write your name, Bible verse, or reflection for you.)

When I think about my life of faith, I can’t help but celebrate the countless skilled professionals, faithful volunteers, and clueless bystanders whose lives intersected mine and helped me grow in relationship with God. Not only was my forehead marked with a cross in the waters of baptism at Zion Lutheran in Canton, OH when I was an infant, but the Spirit of God led and pursued me through all kinds of ministry moments and decades of my life.

For me, Scripture was planted in my heart through singing VBS songs on the cold tile floor at Messiah Lutheran in Akron. Conversations about faith expanded beyond Sunday morning worship as I lingered in the woods of Camp Mowana as a child at summer camp. In high school, moments of serving at nursing care centers and food pantries connected the dots of faith and action, as we loved one another through compassionate care.

Campus ministry at Wittenberg University blew my heart and mind wide open when I was encouraged to wrestle with the hard issues of life and faith, trusting that God was ready to meet me in the tussle. Traveling as part of a music ministry team with Lutheran Youth Encounter introduced me to a variety of people with varied Christian beliefs and practices, challenging my thoughts about life, faith, worship, leadership, and community. 

Youth ministry at Salem in West St. Paul, MN, seminary classwork at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, hospital chaplain work at OSU, and an internship at Resurrection Lutheran in Portland, OR, followed by pastoring in Davenport, Wichita, and West Chester have been essential steps in my journey. Each person and moment has been a crucial addition to my mosaic of faith formation and I can’t imagine that I would be a pastor without them.

Whether I know your story of faith or not, I’m grateful for all of the ways that you, too, have encountered God throughout your life. I imagine that in addition to worship, there have been moments of learning and serving where you have encountered the promise and presence of God.

We are on the verge of something new and beautiful at Lord of Life. Not only are we filled with expectation for the completion of our sanctuary renewal and a return to in-person ministry activities, but in the coming weeks, we hope to hire a Director of Faith Formation. This new, full-time ministry position will be a catalyst for all of us to be drawn into learning and serving moments. This person will be part of our ministry staff, working closely with the pastors, music director, and office administrator to help propel ministry further in this place and deeper into our hearts and minds. Our Director of Faith Formation will not only clarify the learning ministries that we have, but will also help grow our learning ministries with all ages – from the smallest children to the most senior adults. Faith formation is a lifelong practice. 

This new position also add substantial dollars to our mission spending plan. You already know that it takes all of us to make ministry happen in this place. Thank you for your generosity, especially through these strange days of the coronavirus and our physically distanced ministry moments. 

If you haven’t been giving financially to our ministry recently, would you please consider it? As we gear up for many of our learning ministries to resume, our expenses will go up. In the coming weeks, we’ll be purchasing curriculum, scheduling retreats, and planning for once-a-year events like Rally Day, God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday, and so many other moments of togetherness. Keep an eye out for ways to grow your faith.

I’ve missed each of you over the last year and a half as we’ve been apart and it has been so good to see many of you returning to in-person worship. I look forward to seeing the rest of you soon, as we continue to step forward in faith, together.

Living, sharing, and celebrating,

Pastor Lowell

“with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” - Ephesians 4:2

It seems inevitable that if you have a lot of projects going on at the same time, some of them aren’t going to go according to plan. The risk for the proverbial “dumpster fire” seems to go up when you are under a time constraint, or if you try to do everything on a budget.

Since moving to Cincinnati and beginning work at Lord of Life, both my home and church life have been a continuous string of projects - bathroom renovations at home led to … the rest of the house renovations at home. And it is already difficult to remember a time when we didn’t have an office for our Seminary Intern, but the truth is, that office was just the first of many building projects that brought us where we are with our Share the Light renovations.

In the last weeks, in addition to some lightning-paced progress on the sanctuary renewal, we had our parking lot re-striped so we can see the parking spaces better, and sent our altar and baptismal font away for refinishing. What could possibly go wrong?

1 - An actual dumpster fire.

As Independence Day celebrations dragged into the second week of July, a garbage truck driver noticed the back of his truck was on fire. As the blaze grew, he pulled into the most convenient lot he could get to, which happened to be Lord of Life, and dumped the burning waste onto our freshly painted parking stalls. The fire had been caused by fireworks that hadn’t been fully extinguished before being discarded.

2 - Quality craftsmanship cannot be rushed.

My niece was baptized on Sunday morning, and I came in the night before to get things set up. We expected the newly finished font to be in the building, but it wasn’t, and I soon learned it wouldn’t be ready until after the baptism was over. We are blessed to be rich with relationships with our sisters and brothers of other denominations, and not only was Mother Phyllis from St. Anne gracious enough to loan us a font for the next morning, but the resulting conversation has already led to some potential future collaborations.

Both of these situations could have been opportunities to panic, or be fearful or angry. But anger never would have solved either of them. It was fortunate that our lot was near enough for the garbage truck to dump into - it might not have been as safe to drop the fire in a more residential area. And as soon as we realized our own font was unavailable, we were gifted with a beautiful alternative because of our ecumenical relationships. I’m sure the continued renovations at my actual home and my church home will result in additional surprises. I pray that we respond to all of them with the same grace and humor.

Gracefully yours,

John Johns, Music Director

It’s easy to be energized when you are getting ready for a vacation or service trip. Days filled with new destinations and experiences can pump you up with excitement. It’s quite a different thing to maintain momentum as you collapse onto an air mattress following an 8 hour day of roofing or hanging siding in 90-degree heat. This week has been both for seventeen of us serving in Leslie County, KY. 

Sure we might be sweaty and tired from working in the hot sun all day and wish we could connect with family and friends (there’s no reception here), but these are minor details when we confront the startling realities of Appalachia. 

Before reading on, I invite you to read Pastor Alec’s blog from last week, if you haven’t done so already. 

There is much that is beautiful and holy to be celebrated in this place. But that doesn’t undo the decades of job loss, grinding poverty, and ecological disaster that impact so many communities. It doesn’t begin to address the food insecurity that is the daily reality for over 26% of the households in some counties that ASP serves. The beauty of these mountains and riverways don’t begin to solve the issue of food deserts that find many an hour drive from a local grocery store. These numbers - and hearing the heartbreaking stories of people - can draw you into their weariness. 

But don’t mistake these hurdles as despair. Don’t declare these situations as hopeless.

Our theme verse, “let us not grow weary of doing good,” is visible in every act of kindness that we witness here.

This week, our three work crews encountered families who have dwelled on family property for one hundred years and take immense pride in their property, their heritage, and in the presence of God in this place.

This week we heard about children tapped as leaders in their classes, stories of foster children being adopted and experiencing unconditional love in their forever family. 

This week we sipped coffee and smoothies at a ministry-driven restaurant that uses profits to operate the food pantry next door.

This week we were led by a skilled, hard-working staff that not only led us in serving and on-site problem solving, but tirelessly nurtures relationships with homeowners in Jesus’ name. 

This week we experienced overwhelming hospitality from our cooks and from locals who thanked us and wished us well. We filled our spirits with a local bluegrass band concert singing mountain songs and gospel tunes. We were enveloped by the loving embrace of our host families who treat us like kin. 

We might be exhausted and tired, but we are not weary. God has energized us by the presence of these saints and the beauty of this place. God is here!

Wishing you joy!

Lowell