Sunday Worship8, 9:30, & 11 am
Kids have many questions. If you have ever eaten at a restaurant, explored the woods on a nature hike, gawked at the zoo, rested in a restroom, created a craft, read a book, listened to music, fixed dinner, mowed the lawn, meandered on the beach, pumped gas, or attempted to take a nap in the vicinity of a precious little one, you know what I’m saying. The endless barrage of who, what, when, where and why keeps you on your toes and can wear you down to the bone.
Kids are looking for answers to all of life’s problems, puzzles, and happenings. They are on the hunt. Big or small, they need to know. Thankfully, they are bold enough to ask and ask and ask. Their impassioned seeking fuels their quest for answers. If you try to ignore them, they’ll continue asking, seeking, and knocking until you finally cannot bear the interruption any longer.
Maybe one of the reasons that Jesus enjoyed time with children was because they weren’t afraid to open their mouths and say whatever they were thinking. Their brutal honesty mingled the obscene and absurd in the same breath. They didn’t have the capability to turn on their interior editor and filter or correct their honest speech before it came spewing forth.
A few years ago, Elizabeth Blair wrote a fascinating piece, Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Fishing Poles, Pans and People. Leading with the question, “What's the point of a library in the digital age?”, Blair reveals the creative ways that many libraries are expanding their resources by making sporting equipment, tools and even people available for check out.
“‘Libraries that are loaning out people often refer to them as ‘human books.’ Sometimes they even … give them catalog numbers … Public librarians have contact with all walks of life,’ says Amy Greer, who coordinated a Human Library event at the Providence Community Library in Rhode Island. ‘So we created an application, and we approached people we see every day.’”
“They came up with a collection of 40 human books. Among the stories, says Greer, ‘Refugee ... woman with a face deformity ... ex-felon.’ Over 200 people browsed the catalog and checked out books. ‘Then they would go and sit down with that person for 20 minutes for a one-on-one conversation ... And they would just have a dialogue,’ says Greer.” You can read the whole article here: https://www.npr.org/2013/08/13/211697593/beyond-books-libraries-lend-fishing-poles-pans-and-people.
What a tremendous opportunity to engage a spectrum of stories and people. This process of lifelong learning leads to greater knowledge, as well as a deeper understanding of those with whom we live.
We don’t need to shy away from wonder and discovery. We stand in a long line of Christians who are not afraid to ask questions and wrestle with difficult issues, seek Scripture for hope and inspiration, and knock on the doors of heaven over and over with our prayers for guidance and peace.
In all of this, we trust that God is pursing us and inviting us to continue learning about the love and mission of God. What does God ask of us? Where is God seeking us and calling us? Where in our hearts and minds is God knocking, hoping that doors and opportunities will become open and available for God’s purpose?
I pray that the Spirit helps us revert to our childhood curiosities. Together, let’s spend the year asking questions. Who is God calling us to be? Where are we willing to follow Jesus? How can God use us to bring hope and dignity to all people?
Our asking will push us into new territories where we’ll have the opportunities to seek a broader picture, listen to other voices, and search for God’s presence in our lives and in the world.
Still filled with wonder and awe,
Pastor Lowell
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Fall is just around the corner and I know that children have been on the forefront of my mind these past few weeks. If there is one thing I have learned from raising my own two children as well as spending countless hours in the classroom with a wide range of students, it is that children are ever changing. Sure, kids are kids … they will always be kids. They are curious, eager to learn, and full of love, but how they manifest that curiosity, their passion for learning, or expressing that love does not look the same as it did twenty…even ten years ago.
In our ministry, the ever-changing youth are our passion, and some of the youth’s strongest cheerleaders have been working hard this summer to develop programing that will evolve with them.
Show and Tell was always my favorite part of elementary school. Not only did it provide an opportunity to learn more about my classmates and teachers, but it guaranteed that we would see some wacky stuff!
As kids and teachers head back to school during these weeks, I can’t help but think about the summer recaps, which often includes show and tell moments. “What did you do this summer? Where did you go? Who did you see or meet?”
I remember kids bringing in guinea pigs, a duck, a miniature horse, and other exotic pets. There were paintings, drawings, creative configurations of Legos (before design-specific models existed), as well as strange hand crafted projects. A friend of mine rode a unicycle and always took the opportunity to show off for the class. And there was the kid who always talked about his latest cut, cast, or scar.
Show and Tell is a good ritual for grown-up living, too.
Growing up in York, Pennsylvania, Ron has early memories of his family’s large vegetable garden. When he was 8 or 9, he would put the excess produce in his red wagon and pull it down the streets to sell to his neighbors. “I don’t know how much we charged them - probably a couple pennies, maybe a nickel,” Ron recalls. They appreciated the fresh food during World War II when food was being rationed.
Ron studied as a machinist in high school, went into the Army, and then went to college at the Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne. This is where he met Eunice, and they got married after he graduated.
Eunice always sang in her church choir in Fort Wayne and after they met, she got Ron to sing in choir, too. Their commitment to church activities went with them as job changes moved them around the country.
One of Eunice’s favorite jobs was working for Power Wheels. “It was like Christmas every day there. People flew in from Australia and all over the world just to get one for their kids … and we didn’t have them!” They would even ride the Jeep Power Wheels from one end of the business campus to the other. Eunice also worked as a florist and in customer service, depending on where Ron’s jobs took them.
A Lasting Impact
Ron and Eunice landed at Lord of Life in 2003 – two years after he had retired from an engineering job in Athens, GA. They put their skills to work quickly in the choir and ringing hand bells. Soon, Eunice had joined the quilters, and she found the familiar Christmas-like joy of creating blankets for children at Haven House, the shelter in Hamilton. She remembers the first year they managed to make 120 quilts – she and Barb Schimming took a bunch of them to Haven House. There was a young mother who had a little boy and a new baby. She picked out quilts for all three of them – she picked green ones for both her and the baby. Eunice and Barb both loved that she was looking ahead to having a home: she chose the green ones so that after the baby outgrew the blanket, she could use them as wall hangings.
During another delivery, there was a 5-year-old boy. He was excited to see them carry all the quilts in and when they told him, “you can pick out one for your own and then it’s your special blanket,” his eyes got as big as an elephant and tears were running down his face. He found the one that had fire trucks on it. Eunice admits he wasn’t the only one with tears in his eyes that day …
Ron didn’t waste much time before he dug up a plot of land to create the community garden at Lord of Life. During the summer months, it can practically be full time work, but he had honed his skills from the time he was a child, always having a garden wherever they moved. While Ron is a man of few words, he is a great record-keeper and we know that he has taken thousands of pounds of food each year to the food bank at Faith United Methodist and to Haven House. Just this month, folks from Stepping Forward and around the community came to harvest from the abundance of vegetables. He feels like he is really helping people who are in need, and they are glad to have it.
We will miss Ron and Eunice as they move closer to family in Georgia. Join us as we celebrate our time with them on August 26 following 8 am worship.
The beginning of each new school year is a bittersweet time in our home. My wife is lamenting the end of the lazy days of summer, relaxing and reading. My kids are saddened by the loss of their free time and ability to ride bikes and scooter all afternoon. I will miss the ability to just pack the car up and a take a spontaneous afternoon family trip to the local splash pad.
Despite our desire for summer break to continue on forever, we know that going “back to school” is a necessity; partly because Megan is our primary breadwinner and carries the family insurance, but also because we value education for our children. Society values education so much that we start our children young with educational toys, send them through at least thirteen years of public or private education and then encourage them to continue their vocation education through trade schools, undergraduate degree programs and sometimes graduate or doctoral programs.
Pastor Lowell’s sermon this past week (August 5, 2018) caused me to think about the amount of value society places on Christian education and faith practices. Right or wrong, in the United States we place increasingly higher and higher value on institutionalized education and competitive sports. My kids spend approximately 45 hours in school each week and another five hours in sports practices and games. There are definitely benefits to those endeavors, but how am I intentionally challenging them to grow in their faith? Other than the hour they spend at church each week, how I am encouraging them to grow into a life of faithful witness to Christ through humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peacemaking (Ephesians 4:1-3)? I’m not proposing that I will take my kids out of school and sports in order to devote their life solely to Biblical instruction, but I am wondering how I can be more intentional to place faith practices into the center of our family life.
Ultimately, it starts with me! As a parent, I am a role model for my child and I need to show my kids humility, gentleness, patience, love and peacemaking through my actions. I also need to let them see me make conscious choices to value my own development in faith through reading my Bible, attending Bible studies, and giving back to people in need throughout our community.
I plan to start simple and implement FAITH5™ (http://www.faith5.org/) practices into our weekly routine at home. “FAITH5™ (Faith Acts In The Home) is a simple, easy-to-implement faith practice, perfect for incorporating into your bedtime routine for five to fifteen minutes a night. When done over time, the FAITH5™ carries the power to enrich communication, deepen understanding, aid sleep, and promote mental, physical and spiritual health. The five steps are: Share, Read, Talk, Pray, and Bless.” FAITH5™ practices are simple and only take about fifteen minutes per day. They can be done by people of all ages and families of all sizes. I’m going to shoot for three days each week and if it goes well, maybe our family can make it a daily spiritual practice.
If you feel called to be more intentional about practicing your faith, I encourage you to join my family in using FAITH5™ throughout the month of August. Let me know how it works for your family by joining our private Facebook group, Lord of Life Lutheran Church - Faith5 Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2361834407377271/), and I will be happy to share our experience with you there as well.
On the journey of faith,
Corey Wagonfield
Four reflections from the Vida Eterna–Iglesia Luterana (VEIL) youth who went to Houston, this summer, for the ELCA National Youth Gathering.
By Meirielys Castaneda Ceballos
While we were at the University of Houston for MYLE, we met many new people from all over the world. “The Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) empowers young people of color and those whose primary language is other than English to claim their story as a part of God's story” (elca.org/myle).
It was great to be present with so many different cultures and to learn from them. One of my favorite parts was the worship service at Synod Day, because there were many songs in different languages. I also liked the Affinity (ethnic) Group time where we talked about our Hispanic culture and what we can do to help in our community as Latinos.
Another great experience for me was donating blood… Although I was very nervous, I knew I could help someone and “This changes everything!”
By Jennifer Menéz
One reflection we did all three days was ask, “Where did you find God?”… We had a Service Day that was a challenge for our group, working in the sun and humidity. By mulching, we saved the trees in one of the community parks of Houston. We did this as the amazing, strong, and powerful VEIL youth!
We served as Communion Assistants on Synod Day, serving the bread and wine that is Christ. We had a great time and even spent time with the LOL Youth. The experience was amazing because we shared the experiences together and helped each other.
By Jessica Menéz
At MYLE, we had so many fun experiences… We learned so much about each other, as Latinos working together as one to help each other… We had a service day where we assisted at a Community Center. We danced, played, read and ate lunch with the kids. I had the best time with them and I know our presence made a big impact on them. The kids wanted us to return to play with them.
By Valeria Arroyo-Venegas
At MYLE, our Service Learning Day was spent at a Community Center located in an apartment complex for low income families. Many of the children we tutored or played with had only one parent or no parents. I worked with a beautiful, little girl who at the start of our time wouldn’t speak to me, nor would she look at me. Little by little, via short questions, she began to speak… Not knowing how to respond, I asked if she wanted me to hug her in return, and with a large smile she said “YES!” She seemed comfortable with me and returned several times for a hug. She became sad when she realized I would not be returning to the Center. I learned that sometimes all a person needs is someone to make them feel important and loved.
At the ELCA Youth Gathering, we were able to meet many new people, as well as create an even stronger bond with the Lord of Life youth. Almost every night, we sat together for worship, and though we were two different churches, when we were together, we were ONE.
I can’t help but stare at professional lawnmowers while they work. The smooth glide of their machine over freshly mown grass is mesmerizing to watch, as they flow back and forth with the expertise of a skilled painter with a brush on canvas.
I’m not referring to the walk behind push mowers that many of us have used throughout our lives, but the stand behind machines where the person is perched on a floating platform. I wonder how difficult it must be to find the sweet spot of equilibrium and also navigate the variety of bumps and dips in the varied yards on your daily assignment. How often do they have to adapt their stance in the moment? Are there times when they anticipate being thrown off-kilter by what they see coming? Every cutting assignment is different, but each one employs the full set of geometric skills necessary to create straight lines and pull off the zero turn radius.
Many days, our lives can mirror this kind of balancing act. We are zipping from place to place and encounter a whole variety of bumps and dips, as we seek the sweet spot in our work and rest and play. We try to anticipate what is coming next, but are often surprised by the hard situations and conversations which come our way. We attempt to keep calm and steady, but the imbalance throws us off center.
We try not to fall down. We hope that we don’t “crash and burn.” We work diligently to balance the full spectrum of our lives – where we’ve been, where we find ourselves now, and where we’re heading – but can’t do it. Failing over and over, it is easy for us to become overwhelmed. Like the bubble in between the lines on a level, we believe that we have to have to be in a certain place to be right and true. No wonder anxiety, stress, and worry can begin to dominate the landscape of our lives.
Jesus spoke about this tension in his Sermon on the Mount as he launched into his public ministry. He saw people who were juggling home and family, public and private life, and all the other details of first century living. In offering a word of hope, he said, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:31-34 NIV).
As we cross the threshold of mid-summer, Jesus reminds us that God knows the desires of our hearts. Whatever we need today and tomorrow, God will care for us. We might feel unsteady as we wait for the future, but Jesus reminds us not worry. In Christ, we are given the capacity to respond to whatever comes our way.
Looking ahead,
Pastor Lowell