Queen has been my favorite band since I was a kid. My sixth grade music teacher remembers me not for being able to sing a low F by the time I was 12, but because I asked to sing Queen songs during class. While I love a lot of music of several varieties, they score far above all the others. They are the only group whose catalog of music has lodged itself in my head so well that I can sing along with almost any song. Even though Freddy Mercury is no longer with us, I still jump at the chance to see them any time the remaining members are in concert, and they have found a truly capable and dynamic lead singer in Adam Lambert.

Tickets for their current tour went on sale at 10 am on December 6. I had my tickets for their Columbus concert at 10 am and 5 seconds. I waited months until I finally got to see them on Tuesday. So many important things have happened for me and in the world since December, but nothing was going to distract me from seeing and hearing them on stage. I put my phone on silent and put it in my pocket, only to take it out to snap a handful of photos.

They rocked a completely sold out arena and kept 20,000 people on their feet for two and half hours, playing greatest hits and a few deep cuts, too. To my astonishment, there were people who spent several hundred dollars for seats even better than mine and watched the entire concert through camera app on their phone! I mean ... Queen ... living legends ... one of the greatest bands of all time ... and the extent of some people's experience is always going to be the narrow view they had through the lens of their camera. And then to boggle my mind even further, they would take a break from the camera so they could post pictures and videos to social media.

I suppose not everybody wanted to engage with the music the same way I did. I admit there are several times it is easier for me to view the world through my camera rather than confront all the events going on, whether they are joyful or disastrous. Or I let myself get distracted by the buzzes and beeps from my phone instead of listening to what's happening around me or within me. Even during the writing of this blog post, I've probably stopped four times to scroll through my Facebook feed, catching fleeting bits of thoughts and pictures rather than letting my brain focus on the voice in my head telling me to get to work on my task. Maybe it is a defense mechanism to split my attention among several things so I don't have to confront the gravity and the pressure of what it is important. It is easier to get caught up in a hundred mindless things, keeping other people at arm's length.

One of my favorite moments in the concert was when Adam Lambert and Roger Taylor sang Under Pressure together. The fact that both of the icons who made the song famous (Freddy Mercury and David Bowie) are gone made the song weigh even more heavily. The words are timeless, but sometimes they get lost in all the craziness of the song, so I've cleaned them up and I'll leave them here for your perusal. I think they speak for themselves.

Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets

It's the terror of knowing what the world is about 
Watching some good friends screaming "Let me out!"
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets

Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Why, why, why?
Love, love, love, love, love
Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking

Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?

'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is ourselves under pressure

Distractedly yours,

John Johns

Songwriters: David Bowie / John Richard Deacon / Brian Harold May / Freddie Mercury / Roger Meddows Taylor

Under Pressure lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Tintoretto Music

I find myself daydreaming during worship, sometimes. Maybe you are surprised to hear your pastor say this, but there are some moments when I, like you, am not fully present in our Sunday morning moments. Most often, this happens to me at the end of the service when we’re saying our mission statement, “Because God first loved us, let us depart in peace to live, share and celebrate with all people, God’s love in Jesus Christ.” All too often, I’m making a mental list of who I need to connect with or thinking about what is next in the day. This summer, though, these words have brought me to tears on several occasions.

Now, more than ever, I’m convinced that we’re serious about these words. I watch you. Not only do I see how you interact with others at our mission hub, but I witness your hospitality and generosity, active in the many other places where you live, share, and celebrate. You are a vibrant and bold reflection of God’s love spilling into the world!

I was moved by some bold actions that our denomination made this week, too. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has been in session for its Churchwide Assembly and declared itself a ‘sanctuary church body’ on the same day that hundreds marched to the ICE building in Milwaukee. Here’s how Emily McFarlan Miller covered it for Religion News Source (RNS):

MILWAUKEE (RNS) — More than 500 years ago, a monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses outlining his grievances with the Roman Catholic Church to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. On Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 7), members of the mainline Protestant denomination bearing Luther’s name taped 9.5 theses — expressing their concern for immigrants and refugees — to the door of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Milwaukee.

The action was part of a prayer vigil for migrant children and their families during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this week at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center. It took place on the same day the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” signaling its support for immigrants.

Both came in response to President Trump’s policies at the United States border with Mexico and his pledge to deport millions. “It just keeps getting worse and worse in terms of unaccompanied children, separated families, detention centers that are just horrific, and so what we wanted to say as a church body, as the Lutheran church, we wanted to now act with our feet and take action,” said Evelyn Soto Straw, director of unit operations and programs for the ELCA’s Domestic Mission.

More than 570 voting members of the churchwide assembly signed up to participate in the prayer vigil at the ICE building. They were joined by staff from the ELCA and its AMMPARO (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) ministry, as well as members of the Greater Milwaukee Synod, the New Sanctuary Movement and Voces de la Frontera, a local grassroots organization.

The group marched nearly a mile from the Wisconsin Center to the ICE building, carrying signs with messages like “We put the protest back in Protestant” and chanting “This is what the love of God looks like.” There, Bishop Paul Erickson of the Greater Milwaukee Synod opened the vigil in prayer to “Jesus Christ, immigrant and savior.” “Marching is fun, words are great, but action makes a difference,” Erickson told the crowd gathered in the street. The Rev. Erin Clausen of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod said she joined the vigil as a pastor, a mother and a spouse. Christians are supposed to bring the good news to everyone — “especially to those who are hurting and fearful,” Clausen said. She thinks of the children separated from their families and of what she would want others to do if that were her child, and her heart breaks, she said…

On Wednesday afternoon, after the lunchtime vigil, it passed a resolution declaring the ELCA a “sanctuary church body.” That term was proposed by Christopher Vergara, a voting member from the Metro New York Synod. “We continue to do God’s work with our hands in language the world understands,” Vergara said.

So what does that mean for us and how God is calling us to love our neighbors? We have some work to do. Together, let’s talk, study, pray, and then step forward in faith, trusting that God leads us deeper into love.

I praise God for you,

Pastor Lowell
___________________

For photos, the complete article, and additional links, please visit the Religion News Service site.

It has officially been one year...July 15, 2019, marked the one year of service milestone for my internship. I can’t believe how quickly this first year has gone. The old adage is true, “time flies when you are having fun.” There has been a lot of fun:

•  Making crazy music videos with Pastor Lowell www.facebook.com/LordofLifeWestChester/videos/305752000217407/
•  Participating in a record attendance VBS Program
•  Serving the people of Appalachia with our Appalachia Service Project mission trip
•  Playing games of gaga ball and knockout on Jr. High retreats
•  Participating in my first baptism as a pastor
•  Becoming friends with families from Family Promise
•  Being present for so many of all your exciting milestone celebrations (birthdays, baptisms, first communions, confirmations, anniversaries, etc.)

I am so thankful for all of the joyful moments that have come during this past year. But they only make up half of my experience here at Lord of Life. I have also been blessed to be present with you all during some of the saddest and hardest moments of your lives:

•  The deaths of beloved congregation members
•  Officiating my first funeral
•  Depression and anxiety diagnoses
•  Breaking apart of marriages
•  Abuse
•  Loss of jobs and mounting debt
•  Broken family dynamics

The thing is… Despite all of the sorrow and heartache from the past year, I wouldn’t trade it for any other job. It has been amazing to see how this family of Lord of Life has rallied around one another in support and love. It has taught me so much about caring for our neighbor and being willing to share our pain with those who are willing to take it on. 

Just as it is hard to have fun all by yourself… It is hard to go through the pain all by yourself. That is part of the reason we gather in Christian community, to laugh with one another and to cry with one another. We remind each other of God’s unfailing love for us and offer words of hope for a better life to come when the world seems to be falling down around us. 

I can’t imagine that my last ten months with all of you will be any different than the first year, and for that, I feel bittersweet. I look forward to moments of joy, but I bemoan our broken world that causes so much pain. But I couldn’t ask for better traveling companions for the rest of this journey! 

Let’s Make These Last Few Months Count,

Pastor Corey

P.S. - The two photos above are of me on my first week preaching at Lord of Life and a year later. I am fully aware I am wearing the exact same outfit. I promise it was washed… I am a creature of habit.

Portland, Oregon is an urban center wedged between Mt. Hood, the Williamette Valley, and the Tualatin Mountains. The massive Columbia River provides access to the Pacific Ocean making it a working seaport, even though it rests some ninety miles inland. The downtown area bustles with Intel engineers, remnants of the hippie movement, and scads of outdoor enthusiasts who punch the clock in town only to be able to slip away to the high desert of Bend or the rocky coast any chance they get.

On Saturday mornings, you can find all these Oregonians mingling side-by-side with artists, entrepreneurs, farmers, and performers at the Saturday market. This multi-block adventure of sight, sound, and smell is a mix of farmer’s market, art crawl, American Idol audition, and garage sale. Street musicians and jugglers are wedged between vegan food stands, chainsaw art displays, and hemp clothing booths. It is a diverse feast for the senses and the soul that reflect the popular bumper sticker and billboard, “Keep Portland Weird.”

Years ago, when I lived in Minneapolis, one of my sisters drove from Ohio to Minnesota for a summer visit and made the observation that many of the restaurants and stores along the five state adventure were the same as those where she lived. Canton, Ohio had Cracker Barrel, Subway, and Applebee’s, but so did Merrillville, Rockford, and Madison. If she needed some lumber from Lowe’s or an ink cartridge from Office Depot, she wouldn’t have to wait until she returned to Canton, but could pull off at any number of upper Midwest exits and grab what she needed.

She mentioned how disturbing it was to witness “the homogenization of America.” Mile after mile, chain stores and restaurants were taking over. Every town was beginning to look the same. Gone were so many of the mom and pop diners, corner markets, neighborhood hardware stores, and independent movie theaters. 

Thankfully, homogenization is not God’s hope and vision for the Christian Church. While Jesus talks about unity in the Church and his followers being of one mind, there is no expectation that we all become carbon copies of one another.

One of the beautiful and powerful things about the Christian Church is God’s desire to keep it diverse and unpredictable and well...weird. I even saw a bumper sticker that said as much - “Keep Church Weird.” The people of God throughout the world are brought together for worship and togetherness from all walks of life, with varied interests and talents. There are those who text and tweet praying alongside those who don’t embrace technology beyond a color TV. Widowers sing beside newlyweds and newborns.  Cancer survivors, teachers, fast food workers, and college students reach out to one another as they “share the peace.”

We sing and pray together in worship, not because we look the same, vote the same, were born on the same continent, or wear the same clothes, but because our hearts and minds are united when God meets us in the ripples of baptismal waters, a sip of wine, and a morsel of bread. No matter our race, age, or sexual orientation, God welcomes us as we ask for forgiveness and seek reconciliation, and seek love and meaning in our lives.

Leif Grane says, “The church is [universal] because it includes people from all over the earth…The church is characterized precisely by the fact that the church and the people in the church are not identical.” As this reality spills into our lives, some may say it is weird, strange, or bizarre. Jesus calls it faith, hope, and love.

Keeping it weird,

Pastor Lowell

We are writing from Hazard, Kentucky, where twenty-six of us from Lord of Life have been dispatched for a week serving with Appalachia Service Project (ASP).

If you haven’t been watching our activity on social media, you might not know that this is been a transformative and powerful week for all of us. We’re here with handful of other churches from around the Midwest hoping to make homes “warmer, safer, and drier” for those who are struggling in an area of our country which is in an endless cycle of poverty and injustice. 

ASP “envisions the eradication of substandard housing in central Appalachia and the transformation of everyone who comes into contact with this ministry."

It’s important to know that we didn’t come here to save the families we are serving from their situations or to deliver Jesus to them. Quite the contrary. Instead, we came to accompany them in their journey and to work alongside them as we share laughter, stories of sorrow and hope, and recognize that there’s so much more that is the same between us. 

Our group is working in four crews and is focusing on several different home projects, including interior work with drywall, painting, flooring, door and window installation and trim, as well as a good bit of exterior work including digging post holes (by hand) for a porch, refurbishing a ramp and deck, and removal of the decaying stairwell. And that’s only through Wednesday!

We could write about the school where we are staying, Cordia School: Lotts Creek Community School and tell you about the unique marriage of public and private funding that makes education in this county possible through settlement schools. Or we could talk for pages about the families who have welcomed us into their homes and shared the dire circumstances of their lives. We could tell you about the leadership team made up of college students who give a summer, or even a year of their lives, to work with this organization and build bridges between people and communities. There are so many tales of beauty and the presence of God in this place and through this ministry.

Tuesday evening, our program included culture night and had several local voices share about what God is doing through them in this place. One of them spoke about her ministry with those in recovery, and how her organization invites people to healing from addiction by teaching them pottery, blacksmithing, and instrument building. She mentioned that one of the people in the program, after creating a piece of metal art for a family member, commented that it was so “moving to create something after spending so many years breaking and destroying things.”

Walter Crouch, President and CEO of ASP, stopped by to greet us as he made the rounds to several ASP counties this week. In his opening words in our carry-along Field Guide, he said, “Our 2019 theme, ‘Be the peace,’ is more than a slogan, it is a way of life. In a world that often seems anything but peaceful, God has called us to be instruments of love and hope, uniting people by building bridges and settling conflict where we can. As you put your hands and hearts to the task this week, may God’s peace give you the confidence to bring wholeness and happiness everywhere you go.”

These are words for all of us, no matter where we work, play, or live. God tells us to “be the peace” (1 Samuel 25:6). May we do so wherever we are and whatever we do.

With buckets of tools and hope, 

Pastor Corey and Pastor Lowell

Don’t miss worship this weekend as we share photos and reflections of our time here. We also invite you to visit Appalachian Service Project website for more information about how you can pray for and support this vital ministry.

What an amazing week of family camp at Camp Luther! Five Lord of Life families attended camp the week of June 30 - July 6 and came away with some amazing stories and memories. Words can’t really explain the magic that happens at camp. The Holy Spirit is present in a way that seems palpable, like you can reach out and touch it.

• You see God in creation: gorgeous sunsets of Lake Erie, bald eagles soaring across the sky, unobstructed views of the sky at night, and gentles breezes blowing through the trees. 
• You see God in mealtimes: meals prepared for you, sharing food around the table with new friends, and cleaning up after one another at the end of the meal. 
• You see God in laughter: silly skits put on by campers, funny musicals put on by the summer staff, and adults making fools of themselves in silly relay games. 
• You see God in fellowship: sitting around the campfire making smores, sharing stories with old and new friends, swimming in the pool, making crafts, and playing sports with one another.
• You see God in worship: daily Bible study that is age-appropriate, nightly worship overlooking Lake Erie, testimonials given by youth and adults, and praising God for all which we have been entrusted. 

Now I might be a little biased since I have camped there every summer since birth and I worked there for fifteen summers, so I thought I would share with you some quotes from the families who attended camp for the first time:

“I have some things to share that were fun at camp: craft cabin, awesome counselors, singing tree, & sunsets on Lake Erie.”

“I didn’t really expect opportunities that would allow my kids to express their faith in their lives during a chapel moment. It was such an empowering & uplifting experience that changed us deeply.”

Lord of Life plans to attend family camp again next summer, the week of June 28 - July 4, 2020. Half-tuition scholarships will be available for the first five families that sign up to attend in 2020. If you are interested in signing up, contact Pastor Corey. If you want to learn more about the camp experience, you can talk to the following families who attended this summer: Mineard, Metzger, Calihan, Hill, Wagonfield. 

For those families that have been around Lord of Life for some time, we even had the opportunity to camp with our former intern, Vicar Bob, and his family!

To view photos from our week at camp, visit: LOL 2019 LOMO Family Camp Photos.

Missing my hammock, but glad to be back with you...

Pastor Corey