I don’t have all the answers. I can admit that now. My husband certainly knows and so do my co-workers. However, for a long time, I felt like I had to give the impression that I knew it all for my kids. I needed to be confident that I was leading them down the right path so they would feel secure. They couldn’t know that I had questions too or doubted my answers to some of their questions. This is even more true with my relationship with God. I wanted my children to follow Jesus but was afraid that I would mess it up if I didn’t portray confidence or if I professed that the Bible confuses me too.

I’m reading “Woven” by Meredith Miller about nurturing faith in our kids. She begins by talking about her complicated relationship with spiders. She is terrified of them, but she can’t bring herself to kill them even when they are in the house. She traps them for release when her kids find one while screaming inside. I can completely relate. When the kids or I found a spider in the house, I would confidently scoop it up in a cup, covering it with a piece of sometimes flimsy paper to show my kids that you shouldn’t be afraid. I would proclaim, “Spiders are good and eat other things we don’t like. They are one of God’s creatures.” As I did this, I was also internally yelling, please don’t accidentally touch me, move too quickly, or drop because I will scream as if a large bear was attacking me!

Meredith Miller goes on to explain that life is filled with many of these “I want to do it for my kids but it sure does make me uncomfortable” moments which are more serious than spiders. You feel discomfort or even fear, but it matters to you and the future of your kids, other people or your community.. This can be especially true of our relationship with Jesus and understanding the complexities of faith.

I have come to realize that admitting that I am scared or don’t have all the answers is the healthier way to live fully in Jesus. I needed to begin somewhere with our kids even if it made me a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t have to say the perfect prayer or fully comprehend Noah’s Ark as a good or tragic story to start teaching my kids (and myself) about Jesus. We don’t have to be able to recite Bible verses to understand what it means to follow Jesus. ELCA Lutherans follow Martin Luther’s tradition of questioning to dive deeper into where we are being called.

I learned about the power of “I wonder” statements from my years working in preschool. Kids have many questions. Giving it back to them to think about encourages them to explore further. When they ask, do turkeys fly, you can respond with, “Hmmm, I wonder if they do?” This can inspire dialogue and allow you to learn more about both of you. It’s more powerful than automatically giving the answer or allowing you to find the answer together.

Do you question if you have the expertise to share your faith? Can you wonder but still know that God is always walking with you as you learn? Can you start by praying for guidance? I bet you are already doing things that you experience as God’s goodness. Naming it out loud is a first step. We are invited to experience faith along with our family and community, but not expected to have all the answers. God constantly shows us that we aren’t meant to go it alone or face our spiders with bottled up fear.

Incredibly grateful that we are on this journey of faith together.

God’s peace,

Angie Seiller, Director of Faith Formation

Have you heard the great news? As part of our gorgeous new space, we have three new storage closets at Lord of Life! Yes, as the person who schedules events in rooms, I am very excited to have a beautiful new multi-purpose space for staff and leadership meetings, preschool chapel, community events, fellowship gatherings, and more. But as the plans for the building took shape over the past year or so, I was almost as excited to see the storage spaces. All those programs, events, and groups have stuff: books, flags, fabric, tools, paint, chairs, tables, … you get the idea. I’ve been daydreaming about how to best utilize the space. Soon, our quilters can reach their supplies without moving the property dollies and the preschool toys for indoor recess.

As I’ve made plans for our new storage closets, the staff has been working with the program leaders to inventory what they have. We’ve identified a bunch of stuff we don’t need anymore. We donated much of it to the rummage sale, turning an old refrigerator and some glassware into mission dollars to fund trips to serve with the Appalachia Service Project and at the ELCA National Youth Gathering. Some stuff had served its purpose and went into the trash or recycle bins.

It can feel good to get rid of clutter. I was talking with someone recently whose family has a tradition of going through their house from top to bottom every fall, cleaning and getting rid of stuff they no longer need. Then they are ready to decorate and celebrate the holiday, unencumbered with clutter.

Sometimes, the clutter weighing us down isn’t in our homes but in our hearts. That doesn’t make it less real or any less burdensome. Guilt, anxiety, and fear can wear us down and wear us out. Sometimes we can get rid of what’s cluttering our hearts with some exercise, some therapy, some budget plans, or a heart-to-heart conversation. Some clutter feels like it will always be with us; like poverty and war will never end.

In a couple of weeks, we’ll embark on the church season of Advent, where we prepare for the birth of Jesus. Our theme is “How does a weary world rejoice?” Just as in our time, the time before Jesus' birth was filled with strife. Into that strife, Jesus arrives, bringing hope and joy.

Join with us this Advent season as we acknowledge our weariness, provide respite and connection, and anticipate the birth of Emmanuel - God with us. Watch for details on the many ways you can celebrate this season of preparation with your whole family, including devotional materials, mid-week dinner church, an instant pageant, and more.

Between now and then, we will enjoy the season of gratitude and generosity - while continuing to de-clutter.

Yours in Christ,
Cara Hasselbeck

I didn’t spend much time at the library when I was a kid. I knew it as the quiet place and I wasn’t very good at being quiet. Too many times, I was given “The Look” or scolded with a “Shhhhh!” (The “shhhhh” was often louder than my activity, by the way.)

When I became a college student, I discovered that the quiet of the Thomas Library at Wittenberg University often provided refuge from the chaos of dorm life. If I needed to focus, I could slide into a study carrel, huddle in a small enclosed room for a group study session, or sprawl on a couch for a snooze.

When our children were young, we burned countless hours exploring books, story times, creative opportunities, and spaces at the Bexley, Davenport, and Andover Library systems as we moved from town to town. Each one offered thrilling places to learn and grow.

The Midpointe Library here in West Chester, is one of our favorites and loaded with so many options for discovery. I’m constantly surprised. I go in searching for a certain little something and come out with a stack of children’s books, graphic novels, CDs, travel guides, a few poetry books, and maybe even a memoir or two.

Have you heard about the Human Library? “The Human Library is, in the true sense of the word, a library of people. [Readers] can borrow human beings serving as open books and have conversations they would not normally have access to. Every human book from [the] bookshelf represents a group in our society that is often subjected to prejudice, stigmatization, or discrimination because of their lifestyle, diagnosis, belief, disability, social status, ethnic origin, etc.” Learn more here: https://humanlibrary.org/

Churches remind me of The Human Library. Although many think that church is only one certain thing (whatever that may be in their mind), thriving congregations like Lord of Life offer opportunities where a variety of people across different ages, interests, and skills intersect and interact through a spectrum of serving, learning, and worship moments. We even center our time together around a banned book! 

When we gather, there are unique occasions to meet people from all walks of life with unexpected journeys. Grounded in Jesus, we are led to wrestle with tough issues of faith like suffering, isolation, and fear. God’s mandate to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God” spurs us to confront racism, sexism, ableism, poverty, and other issues of injustice. We grow in hope and compassion as we hear about life from different perspectives, asking questions like, “When have you encountered the Holy Spirit? What does forgiveness look like in your life? How do you see God at work right now?”

Even more, as we read the Bible together, we meet our ancestors in the faith and hear them asking many of these same questions. “Where is God? Who am I? What does the future hold?” Watching them wrestle and explore, wander, and wonder, we discover deeper truths about God and ourselves.

During this season of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for your voice that helps me learn and grow. I give thanks for your unique journey of faith that expands our understanding of God in new and beautiful ways. I am grateful for the many ways you love Jesus and how that spills out into the ways you love people and the world. 

If you haven’t been around lately, come and be surprised by what God is up to in our community of faith. Jump into conversations and ask questions. Invite someone to come with you and discover the power and peace of God. We all have something to share. We all have something to learn.

Surprised by Grace,

Pastor Lowell

On the day we dedicated our New Space, there was a detail that, in hindsight, was difficult to notice over the excitement of everything else going on that day. To be fair, it was happening outside, and while it was very loud, it wasn’t immediately apparent that I was ringing carillon bells that were playing from the top of our new peak.

Months ago, as the building was coming together, some of us were talking about how nice it would be to have bells ringing through the neighborhood. We’ve already committed to sharing our light, to being this beacon in our community and throughout the world; why not share it out loud, too?

So I got some quotes from companies that install bell systems. Sticker shock. There was no way we would be able to afford a new system and have it installed by the time our building was finished. I was sure it would be a project that needed to wait for another year. But then Art Hupp (member and architect) asked me, “What if we just install the speakers now? The lift is here and if we do it now, we won’t have to pay for an expensive lift later.”

My research into buying the right speakers led me to learn how the systems are engineered in general and then I just couldn’t leave it alone. I decided to have a surprise ready for our new building.

Several years ago my Granny left me a little bit of money. It wasn’t enough to do anything big. Not a down payment on a house and certainly not as much as the quotes from the carillon companies. I held onto it because I wanted to do something special with it and for fifteen years, I couldn’t decide.

With my newfound knowledge in how carillon systems are built and my small inheritance, I went about piecing together what we needed to make it all work. It took until the very last day before the dedication, but it was ready to go. When we dedicated the building on Sunday morning, I played the first phrase of “A Mighty Fortress” and the bells joined the cross and the light pouring out of our new building in telling the world that we are here.

The money from my Grandma made it possible for me to build the bell system, but I didn’t build the system for her (although it is hard to imagine a more Lutheran name than “the Georganna Kern Bargdill Carillon.”) I built it to lift up the mission of Lord of Life, to honor the extra efforts of our foreman, JT, and all the ways Art has taken our wild ideas and made them possible. It is a “thank you” for all the people who make our day-to-day operations possible with their generosity, and through whom we are able to share our gifts of time and treasure with the community.

With our new carillon, I can play the bells from the organ console, I can set the bell to chime at certain times of the day, play peals for weddings, or tolls for funerals. I love having this new tool to show the neighborhood we are here and on the rise.

Yours in Christ,

John Johns, Music Director

I’m going to admit it, I am invested! I have always been a huge football fan. I can get sucked into a game that is on in the background with two teams I don’t even know. I like to learn about the players and their history. I especially enjoyed watching the story of the Kelce brothers in the Superbowl (added plus that they both played for the University of Cincinnati). I have even listened to some of their podcasts. They seem like generally good guys who care about their families and want to learn and grow along with their fans.

So, when the rumors started bouncing around that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were dating, I started rooting for love and this relationship. I wouldn’t consider myself a big “Swiftie”, but I have come to appreciate the goodness, talent, and generosity of Taylor Swift. I didn’t pay too much attention to her until she began her tour. I started to hear stories of her paying the crew $100,000/each in bonuses, the personal visits to fans, and the concert atmosphere of spreading love, and inclusion. I am now a big fan.

As a fan who clicked on too many photos of them on social media, I began to reflect on my investment in their lives. It seems silly for a person of my age (29+) to care about people I don’t even know. Especially people that seem to have it all. Didn’t I have better things to think about? That’s when it dawned on me that I was using this as a diversion from the troubling news surrounding us. War, terror, cruelty, natural disasters, poverty, hate and discord. I needed to root for love and for goodness to win.

What is your diversion? Or maybe you need one? TV shows, social media, music, books, movies, sports, relationships, devotions, food, nature? Is it a healthy diversion? One that brings you joy and a quick break from reality? Or one that keeps you from dwelling in God’s love and trusting that he is in control even in the chaos that seems to be happening in the world today? Can it be both?

God meets us with unending love, grace, and peace wherever we are both emotionally and physically. It is not contingent on being in worship or outward signs of love and devotion. However, wouldn’t it be amazing if we could support each other with the power of a full church of Jesus fans? I certainly felt that bursting, joyful spirit of hope and promise at the Dedication last week. Worship as our weekly diversion that centers our hearts for the week ahead sounds good. We can dwell in the knowledge that He came to be the light to this messed-up world and to show radical love. He will shoulder our burdens and the Holy Spirit will lead our lives. He is our biggest influencer and love wins. I am invested. Are you?

In God’s love,

Angie Seiller, Director of Faith Formation

Seven years ago this week, Lord of Life held our initial meetings with consultant Craig Miller of Horizons Stewardship to clarify our mission hopes and needs. Part of Craig’s assessment included a feasibility study of our ministry goals and financial health, which would help us identify our appetite for what type of projects we would pursue.

Much can happen in seven years. During this time, we not only raised funds and set a course for sanctuary renewal, fire suppression, parking lot projects (some of which will be completed after all the big trucks are gone), and the construction of a multi-purpose community space, but also welcomed dozens of new families, partnered with four seminary interns, and shared hundreds of opportunities to worship, pray, learn, and serve together.

During this time, we also focused our mission and vision statements, leaned into our core values, and created a welcome statement that reflected the realities of our community. When Covid landed in the world unexpectedly, we learned how to live out our mission in new ways, as we were forced to rethink how, when, and where ministry could happen. Council President and Share the Light team member, Greg Hasselbeck, remembers, “Our church was able to quickly pivot from in-person only services to online services [using] some of our Share the Light funds to make that happen. We were blessed to have funds available to support the upgrade of our sanctuary and a staff that was able to make it happen so quickly.”

Looking back on our Share the Light capital campaign, Greg continues, “What excited me about the entire idea was knowing or believing that expanding our space and making other capital improvements on our campus would enable us to expand upon how we live our mission as a congregation … I knew well that the building was often full and groups – both from inside and outside of Lord of Life – were often looking for space and we couldn’t accommodate everyone.”

When asked why he and his wife chose to step into leadership, campaign chair Mark Dalhart recalls, “Initially, both Deanne and I felt it was time for Lord of Life to show the community we were here for them. There were definitely space needs and [creating] a space along Tylersville would accomplish both. We felt it was necessary for the senior members of the church to show they were behind the capital campaign…I still believe this is the right direction for Lord of Life to serve the community.”

Greg Hasselbeck says, “This has been a bit of a faith journey for me. Faith in our congregation to support the capital campaign and faith that our financial investments would be rewarded in terms of new members and more giving to support the increased operating expenses that come along with the new building…It’s great to see that faith being rewarded with new members and a growing congregation, and seeing the excitement that the possibilities of our new space present to all of us … I’m excited to see the blessing it will bring to our congregation and community in the future.”

Former Council President Vasanthi Chalasani says, “Share the Light to me was not about another building, but a space that brings our congregation to fully embrace our mission ‘to live, share, and celebrate with all people, God’s love in Jesus Christ.’ I am excited for the new space…It will open up many opportunities to serve our community and [help us] grow in faith for generations to come.”

Please come and celebrate with us, this Sunday. Join us in person if you can. If not, watch online in real-time or as your schedule allows. Please pray for this new season of ministry together and stop by to see how God is helping us make more room for everyone.

Joyously sharing the light of Christ,

Pastor Lowell

If you would like to give a one-time or recurring gift to support the ministries of Lord of Life, you can do so here: https://www.lol-lutheran.com/give Thank you for your generosity.