My dog was kicked in the head by a deer, yesterday. We aren’t sure whether he provoked the full-size doe with a brief chase or if they surprised one another in a happenstance moment in the backyard. Most noontimes, when our 6 year-old Terrier mix goes out for a few minutes, there isn’t a deer in our yard.

We haven’t ever heard yelps and howls like the ones we heard after this midday rumble. At least one tooth is gone and his eye is cut open, as well as what the vet calls “road rash” around his mouth. Whew! While he looks like he visited Fight Club, we’re grateful that Otto’s injuries aren’t worse.

There are all kinds of life events that feel like they are an unpredicted kick to our head or heart. These situations leave us stunned, seeing stars, and wondering which end is up. Out of nowhere – Wham! – illness or disease, unemployment or an accident, abuse or addiction, death or other loss, can leave us wondering which end is up.

I’ve been knocked off balance by the recent apprehension and deportation of a Lutheran student pastor Betty Rendón and her husband, Carlos Hincapie. The Chicago Sun-Times reports, “[They] fled Colombia’s civil war in 2004 after guerrilla rebels threatened to kill Rendón for not allowing them to recruit students of a school where she was a principal. They came into the United States with tourist visas and later applied for asylum, but their applications were denied in 2009.”

Bishop Michael Rinehart of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod said, “Like many people in the world fleeing violence, they chose to stay rather than risk returning.” The Sun-Times states, “Since then, the couple bought their family house in Englewood and maintained spotless criminal records.”

The Sun-Times continues, “Rendón was set to begin her doctorate at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in June. For the past few years, [she] drove 2½ hours from Englewood to Emaus Evangelical Lutheran Church in Racine, Wisconsin, every Sunday to preside over the church’s Spanish Mass.”

“Rendón is also a breast cancer survivor who before being detained was being treated for possible cancerous tumors in her colon and urinary tract.”

This week, Rendón and her husband were “put on a plane and deported back to Colombia. Their daughter (a DACA recipient) and granddaughter (born in the US) were not allowed to visit them to say goodbye. Because of her DACA status, their daughter, Paula Hincapie-Rendón is not subject to deportation. It also means, however, that she is not allowed to leave this country; she will now be permanently separated from her parents.”

Read more here: www.tinyurl.com/SunTimesRendon.

I don’t have the answers to this complicated issue, but I am convinced that we must continue to wrestle with matters of justice. We are called by God to step into the places of chaos and bring resurrection hope in the name of Jesus.

I am reminded of the many injured and hurting people that Jesus met. Over and over, he approached and embraced those who were stunned by grief, shame, and isolation. As he departed, he sent the Spirit and instructions to his followers to welcome, feed, clothe, and visit those in need. Let’s follow God’s lead.

Living, sharing, and celebrating with all,

Pastor Lowell Michelson

Don’t worry – if you’ve never watched Game of Thrones, I won’t spoil anything for you.

I’m usually late to engage in pop culture phenomena. A few years ago, even though I had never watched a single episode of Game of Thrones, it seemed like I couldn’t avoid hearing or reading about it online or anywhere I went. As the series entered its fifth season, I sat down and binge-watched the four previous seasons so as the fifth season aired, my friends could talk about it without spoiling anything for me.

I was hooked on this fantastic tale of families fighting for rule over their kingdoms, manipulating events to get their way, and reacting to the outside pressures of the coming winter and various magical creatures. To my horror, just as I would get attached to a character, he or she would be killed off. It didn’t matter – I was still glued to my couch. What was it that I (and millions of other viewers) loved so much?

Most of the storytelling we see from Hollywood is told from a personal perspective – we get a lot of character development based on individual personalities and how those established characters interact with other people. Game of Thrones turned the perspective upside down by narrating from a sociological perspective. Sure, we still engaged with the characters, but we got to know them within the context of the external forces being put on them and influencing their lives. People would make decisions that we all knew weren’t “good,” but we empathized with them because of their situation, so we didn’t think of them as “bad” people.

In the last season, the writers started using a more psychological approach, drawing our attention to specific characters and their roles, and we lost the sociological perspective that we loved. By the third episode, one of the main story arcs had been eliminated without fully explaining several of the ancient clues that had been put in front of us for seven seasons. By the fifth episode, the other main arc wrapped up, leaving nothing but personalities to have conflict without any context at all in the final episode. Fans have been left bewildered at the rushed pace, incomplete development and narrow view of the characters, going as far as to ask for a remake of the entire season. Sociological writing is increasingly rare and difficult. It takes many more hours of screen time than simple psychological, black or white, narrative. It is difficult for us to use that kind of perspective in our daily lives, as well.

In the Gospels, disciples and religious leaders are shocked when Jesus befriends people on the fringes of society. Labels like “tax collector,” “leper,” “poor,” or even “woman” might as well have been “bad person” or “lesser person.” Jesus doesn’t see it that way, though. Jesus sees them as people within the context of a social system, reacting and living as human beings with governments pressing down on them, families casting them aside, and norms they could never overcome. Even the tax collector, who is willingly performing this job that most people see as villainous, is operating within a greater social narrative and Jesus accepts and loves him. 

When Jesus talked about bringing God's heaven to earth, part of this was to create a kingdom outside of the current social system - to "break the wheel," so to speak. A kingdom in which we not only stop judging other people, but we also make it easier for people to make better decisions. Some churches get it all mixed up by focusing on the individual sins of certain people or the characterization of someone without looking at the context of their environment. Deep down we know this isn't right, even if we can't name why. Many people, like Game of Thrones viewers, get upset and turn away from the church as the Bible is reduced to short verses taken out of context. We know it is impossible to justify this kind of narrow view of God's law when Jesus was so clearly looking at a much larger picture.

Jesus' challenge to us is to love one another. No qualification. No matter the context. It is a difficult rule to uphold, but if we get beyond our narrow views of the people we connect with, we can look at them as a human being, just like us, who is part of a system that doesn't always bring out the best in people. We can be part of God's kingdom right now by doing our part to make a better place for people to live.

The old cliche is, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Some people bemoan this saying because they are bibliophiles, meaning that they love books. They will tell you that the book is always better than the movie, and quite often, they are right. Just as the character development in a book cannot always be echoed perfectly on a screen, there are visual images that are far more powerful than if they were simply described in words. The photo of a loved one who has passed on. The scene of a devastating terrorist attack. The tears streaming down the face of a woman who is separated from her child. The visual portion of our brain quickly processes images and connects them to our own experiences, which has an effect within us that is far more visceral, or embodied.

Knowing that pictures play such an important part in our lives today, i.e. social media, family photos, selfies, advertising, television, etc., we should pay close attention to them within our life of faith. When I say “Jonah,” do you think of verses and descriptions, or does an image of a large fish appear in your mind? When I say “Adam and Eve,” do two naked individuals wearing fig leaves appear in your mind? We connect many of our Biblical texts to images within our mind, some that are appropriate and others that might be dated and could use a refresh.

This past Sunday we looked at Psalm 23 and the metaphor of the Lord as our shepherd. Many people had an idea of what a shepherd is supposed to do, but that particular metaphor, written for a specific people in a specific time, did not resonate with suburban life in the 21st century. The challenge was raised to think about what powerful image, or metaphor, could be inserted into Psalm 23 to make it more relevant to us today, without changing the meaning behind the psalm. What image exemplifies the description of God that David gives in the psalm and how God relates to us?

Take a moment to reflect on Psalm 23 and try to rewrite it with an image that speaks directly to you. Then, if you are comfortable, take a moment to share a portion of it, or all of it, on your social media and the church’s Facebook page. If you are uncomfortable sharing it online, but want to share it with me, I would love to see your creativity; you can email it to me at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Here are a couple of links to examples of how Psalm 23 has been rewritten: http://bit.ly/30ct4Zk, http://bit.ly/2JfTg09. As promised, here is a version of Psalm 23 that I wrote during my second semester at seminary:

The Lord is my spiritual Siri, she directs my every move.
She knows every moment of my life and reminds me of my commitments.
She organizes my chaos and color-codes away my anxiety.
When I am physically or mentally lost, she provides comfort through guidance.
When I am hangry (so hungry that I am angry), she provides me with places to eat.
Even though I try to live my life without her, I know I would never succeed on my own.
Despite my stubbornness, I know she will always know more about me than even I know, and I trust in that.

God Bless,
Pastor Corey

A random act of violence in a neighborhood results in stray bullets ripping through the walls of a child’s bedroom in the middle of the night.

A series of random storm fronts converge, creating a powerful superstorm that destroys life and property over several states. A construction crane tumbles to the ground on a windy day, randomly crushing four unsuspecting persons.

The word “random” defines many of the occurrences in our lives. Without pattern and lacking regularity, these and many other arbitrary events pop out of nowhere, wreaking havoc in the lives of folks who are in the wrong spot at the wrong time.

You may have heard that a student in the Lakota School District recently took their life. While it was random, it is not rare. According to the CDC, suicide rates have increased by 30% since 1999.

Far too many of our youth – and adults – are overwhelmed by hopelessness and see no options. If you, or someone you love, is in a place of despair, please use these numbers and links:

o 24-Hour Suicide Text Line: text “4 Hope” to 741741
o Butler County 24-Hour Mobile Crisis Line: 1-844-4CRISIS (1-844-427-4747)
o Resources for Grief
o National Suicide Hotline
o Parent Resource
o Columbia Community Card for Teens
o www.nami.org

Thankfully, there are many other chance moments that happen around us every day, which are grounded in kindness and can impact and transform our perspective. In my own life, I’ve pulled up to the toll booth on the Turnpike, only to realize that the person in front of me already paid my way. After saying, “We’re ready for our check” at a restaurant, Tera and I discovered that our bill had already been paid by the couple sitting across the aisle who commented on our well-behaved children – Thank goodness for that random moment of peace at the dinner table.

Each of us already provides all sorts of planned moments of kindness to each day. We offer encouragement to a friend, pack a lunch for a loved one, and share treats with co-workers. In addition, countless random acts of kindness appear to be no big deal and may even resemble what many call manners: holding a door, helping someone load groceries into their vehicle, or offering a word of hope when someone is discouraged. But if you have ever been on the receiving end, you know that even the smallest act of kindness can transform your day. A brief moment of unpredictable generosity has the power to turn someone’s life inside out.

This spontaneity of giving is built into the fabric of our Christian lives. Random acts of kindness are a taste of that unmerited and undeserved favor that we call grace. They don’t happen after a judgment is made of someone’s worth to be a receiver, but are freely given out of love. The Holy Spirit is constantly stirring in our hearts and souls, ready to spur us at any moment to reach out with a gentle hand or kind word.

All too often, we stifle that impulse, afraid of how others might respond. The invitation in Romans 12 is a helpful challenge to us as we move forward in love: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor… serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”

During this Easter season, we celebrate the promises of resurrection. Jesus bursts into our confusion and paralysis, bringing restoration and showing us a way forward.

May is Mental Health Month. During this month, and always, let us cling to God’s promises and be living examples of kindness, sharing love freely and honoring the life with which we have been blessed. 

Trusting in Resurrection!

Pastor Lowell Michelson

The forty, introspective days of Lent are behind us.
The feet were washed on Maundy Thursday.
Jesus was crucified and buried on Good Friday.
The tomb was empty at Easter Vigil.
We sang our favorite Easter hymns with the organ and string ensemble.
The Easter egg hunts have ceased.
The Easter lilies have been taken back to their homes (most of them).
Church staff has gotten back into a normal sleep pattern.

Now what?
Do we go back to our “normal” lives, unchanged by the Easter message?
Do we go into “summer mode,” where Jesus’ mission takes a back seat for three months?
Do we put it on cruise control until Christmas?
How does Easter continue to fit into our daily lives?

Easter is known as “The Great Feast.” It is arguably the high point of the entire church year as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is actually a season-long celebration that last for 50 days, ending on Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles. Growing up, I never realized Easter was a fifty-day celebration, I just figured it was the one day we got candy and elaborate Easter baskets. Life went back to “normal” after Easter and Kroger’s seasonal aisle prompted us to start thinking about Cinco de Mayo celebrations or Memorial Day cookouts.

But what would happen if we continued the excitement of Easter and the life-changing resurrection of Jesus, beyond the acknowledged holiday? How can we continue to celebrate new life, and promised eternal life, each day during this season of Easter? It won’t be easy. I know I only lasted about five or six days on the Lenten Photo Challenge, but I can’t let fear of failure stop me.

I encourage you to join with me over the next 46 days (or more), to attempt to intentionally live out the mission of the resurrected Jesus in little ways each day. How can we show love and forgiveness to those around us? How can we help to bring about new or renewed life to the world around us? If you want some ideas, here is a site that offers 50 ways to celebrate Easter: www.wau.org/resources/article/re6_family_50_days_easter/

Grab ahold of these ideas or create your own, and celebrate our new life in Christ.  Please share your experiences on our social media sites with #LOLMissionInAction.

Happy Easter (Season)!

Pastor Corey

It is Holy Week. On these days leading up to Easter, Christian communities gather to hear about Jesus eating a final meal with his friends and his startling arrest. We recall his brutal beating and makeshift trial. We remember a denial by the charcoal fire and the crowds screaming “Crucify him!” We try to insulate ourselves from the bizarre parade to the execution hill beyond the city walls and the violence incited by fear and hatred which took his life.

I wish that all of the gruesome events of these solemn days were sequestered in the past, but unfortunately our embrace of sin continues to propel similar occurrences right into our days and newsfeeds. Greed, selfishness, and betrayal runs rampant. Hate and revenge dismantles friendships and allegiances. The struggle to maintain power and cling to self-preservation distorts otherwise clear-headed thinking. Manipulation and judgment rooted in fear continue to be lived out in real time right in front of us.

Recently, three historically black churches were deliberately torched in Louisiana. Chaos reigns at our southern border. Democrats and Republicans point fingers and blame one another as they dig in their heels. Military budgets swell as countries fortress themselves for the future. Children continue to go to bed hungry. I write this following a day in court when a murderer was given the maximum sentence for stalking and killing one of our own.

Like the disciples, we are surrounded by periods of darkness and waiting and wondering, but we live as people of Hope who wait for what is promised. Death doesn’t have the last word. Pain and suffering isn’t the end of the story. Jesus bursts into our presence as the one who once was dead, but now is alive.

Clinging to the cross and empty tomb!

Pastor Lowell Michelson