Growing Into New Life

Every year has it’s seasons and everything in life does too. We start out young and highly dependent on our parents for everything. They teach us the basics, how to walk and talk. Before you know it we are in school, mom and dad aren’t around us every moment of every day. It’s other adults that begin to have a part in our lives. We start to choose our own friends and we find social niches. We continue to grow into new seasons, we hit adolescents and a whole new world begins to take shape as we think differently, learn differently, act differently. Again, there is less and less time with our parents and more adults who continue to be a part of what we will become. We get active in sports and arts and all kinds of other things. We enter into high school and yet another season takes place as we find ourselves with more doors open to us then ever before. We learn how to drive and no long are we kept to a schedule that only our parents can accommodate. If we’ve got the wheels then all we need is ourselves. We experiment, we try new things, we have so many more options.


This is the way life goes. One season moves into another. Some are really good, some are really bad, and others just pass us by like we never even realized. This is God’s world for us, we wants us to learn and grow, but he wants us to do it with him.

I know what it’s like to be in high school. Believe it or not, I was there once, and not to long ago! It is so easy to get caught up in who said what about that person, what’s the latest fashion, who’s doing what on Saturday night, and does that guy/girl like me? It seems as though it is so easy to forget about God when you step foot off of church property. I will be the first to admit, when I was in high school, sure I believed in God, but I didn’t understand him. I didn’t read the bible, I didn’t understand what faith really was, I didn’t truly know what it meant to be Lutheran. I really didn’t have a relationship with God. I went to church and youth group, but really only because there were some very pretty girls! That was enough to keep me coming back week after week, plus it was a time when I could get away from my parents and the adults in my life who told me what to do and when to do it all the time. How many of you can relate to this?!

What I didn’t realize at the time was even though I didn’t have a relationship with God, He had one with me. In my escape to youth group each week, this idea was never told to me. Maybe it was because I didn’t listen, maybe it’s because I didn’t want to know that, or maybe it’s because the youth group I was a part of lacked adults who invested time in us to grow us spiritually. Whatever the case, I went through high school and college struggling with my faith. I thought I had to act a certain way, attend church all the time, and read the bible each day. I was constantly going through relationships with friends and family, breaking ties, forgiving, holding grudges, being hurt, and not realizing that through all of that there was someone who loved me know matter what; something called unconditional love.

It wasn’t until a mission trip to Philadelphia with very close friend that I realized that there was nothing I could do to be in a relationship with God. God is relationship with me, with us, no matter what! And it’s not a matter of having to go to church, youth group, read your bible, or pray, we get to do those things because God’s love is so eternal and never ending that through those things and the relationships we build we get to experience this love, grace, and heaven that God has for us. It was in the community that was built in Philadelphia the I grew into new life. A new season started for me that week and I became new again. It was like a baptism for the spirit! I didn’t have to be on that trip as an adult leader, I was blessed to be there, in community with those adults and students because through them and those relationships I saw Jesus and I heard loud and clear, “He loves you!”

So my challenge to you, as we prepare for this summer and all the community that we get to build during this time through retreats, mission trips, and other summer time events, whether you’ve been coming to Solid Rock or St. Stephen or another church regularly or not, what is it that you don’t have to do anymore but what is it that you get to do? How is it that you are growing into new life realizing the relationship God has with you? When will this new season change for you and bring you forth in hope, joy, and peace, that no matter what God loves you? How will it be that you witness God through the community placed before you so that you can grab a hold of this new life and go forth with your flame shinning bright?

May you get these joys in your new life, the new season, that is brought to you through communities of faith, lifting each other up, loving each other, and witnessing God through their relationships! May you grow in this new life, knowing that Jesus is in relationship with no matter what or where you are! God Bless you and Peace!

No Doubt

Doubt is a pretty basic feeling for humans. At times doubt seems so natural, especially when we are down in the dumps or just in a negative mood (being a negative Nancy!). I doubt all the time! Generally this time of year for me is filled with doubt, I doubt that the mission trip will end up going well, I doubt my ability to do ministry as things slow down a little, people get stressed from a full year of ministry and students are getting burnt out between school, sports, life, and church! I even doubt my faith...a lot!...Okay, maybe a lot is a small exaggeration, but I do doubt it at times, and it's not just the, one time of year kind of doubt.

But what is doubt really? I would say it is the lack or absence of hope. It is believing that something will go in the direction you do NOT want it to go. Hope is the opposite of that. Hope is the desire and belief that things will go the way we want. Doubt is not necessarily a sin, however, I would like to relate the two. Sin could be defined as the lack of our ability to see God in our life. Doubt, much like sin, I think is also a lack of our trust in God being involved in our lives. God is always with us and his hand is on everything in this world. If we truly believed this then doubt would not exist because we would be hopefull that everything God touches would be safe, clean, beautiful, and loved and that is truly the case. But we doubt that God really does have his hand on everything which only creates more doubt for us in our world.

In my mind hope and belief are one in the same. If we have these in our lives then it eliminates the need to doubt. Unfortunately, that is not the way we are all wired. We forget our connection with God, we find worldly things easier to grasp and so we lean to them instead of God. This creates doubt in Him which leads to more doubt. Doubt is natural, unfortunately, but we need to understand that it is natural. If we can understand this and know that we are not alone in our doubt then we can support each other and encourage each other to faith and hope!

I pray this week that we do not need to be like Thomas, not believing until we feel the holes in His hands. But we can believe and know through the love that we witness, He is risen and we ALL are saved! May you find hope in your world today and may that hope spread to those around you. May the hope bring love and joy and defeat the doubt of the world!

Being Blessed

There was a pastor who served a ministry for the mentally disabled. There was one particular woman named Kathy who would constantly run into this pastor every day. One day she stopped him and asked him for a blessing. He did the usual cross on the forehead and mumbled some words and as he did this she smacked his hand away. She said, "No! Not now, I want a blessing during worship tonight!" The pastor found this to be a little strange but said ok. He went on with his day not really sure how he would do this blessing during worship that night.

When it came time to worship he still didn't know what he was going to. Before worship began he called Kathy forward to give her a blessing infront of the congregation. She came forward with a big smile on her face and once she reached the pastor she wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder. The pastor was completely shocked by this and really did not know what to do. By habit he too put his arms around her and embraced her. Then we whispered in her ear, "You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."

After the blessing Kathy had a large smile on her face and returned to her seat. The pastor thought all went well and prepared to go on with worship when another man in the congregation raised his hand. The pastor called on him and the man said, "Could I have one of those blessings?" Of course the pastor said yes, so the man came forward, wrapped his arms around the pastor, placed his head on his shoulder and the pastor said, "You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."


When the pastor finished this blessing he looked up to find a line had formed behind this man. Everyone wanted this blessing! The pastor continued blessing the congregation this way until each person that wanted one recieved it.
 
We all are blessed by so much, but how often do we stop and embrace the things or people that we are blessed by? How do we bless those people around us? Are you taking time to stop and bless those around you? Are you taking the time to stop and be blessed yourself?
 
This week I challenge you all to take note of your blessings and give thanks for them. See how you are a blessing to others around you and most importantly stop. Stop and allow another to bless you, whether it be someone doing something nice or even someone embracing you, placing your head on their shoulder and hearing these words, You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."
 
You all are blessing to me, peace and love!

Bridge to Baptism

So in worship we've been talking a lot about baptism and sin, so I thought I've naturally been thinking a lot about baptism lately. Actually my mind has been focused on water a lot. Maybe because it rained all day yesterday, maybe because the weather on the weekends has been perfect and I've been spending a lot of time at Wekiva Island just sitting by the water, or maybe it's because I'm having this strange mid-winter yearning for a beach trip! But water seems to be surrounding my thoughts lately...

So baptism, many of us have done it, or been baptised. Many of us don't remember it though, but we know that it happened to us. So my question this week is what brings us to baptism? You might be thinking, "Well my parents did because I was a baby!" but that's not what I'm talking about. We all come face to face with our baptism every day and we have experiences that many would consider re-baptizing them. Experiences like powerful worship, babies being born, mission trips, etc. These things bring us new life, new energy, and a new perspective on our faith that is much like baptism. These types of things have the Holy Spirits finger prints all over them and pouring out on us as they happen.

So maybe the better question is, what is the bridge you walk across to refresh your faith and remember your baptism?

I consider myself lucky, in that, my career seems to be one bridge after another the forces me to relive my baptism. Retreats with students, meaningful worship, mission trips, serving students every single week, these things are like gushing waters pouring out on to me that bring me life and help me to remember the amazing gifts God has for me. But I wasn't always in youth ministry and this was not always the case. The original "big" bridge for me was a close friend, a church youth group, and a mission trip. After college I returned home to find a very good friend of mine leading the old youth group we were a part of. She pushed me to join her and be a part of the things she was doing. I did it hesitantly. After a year, I was growing but nothing to significant, I was probably only a few steps onto the metaphorical bridge. Then the opportunity of a mission trip came up. I was very hesitant as we had only a few months to plan this elaborate trip and none of us had done something like this before. But again my friend pushed me and continued to lead me across this bridge and the next thing I new I was in Philadelphia with 16 students doing all kinds of mission work, tired, stressed, and yet full of energy and excitement! The last night of the trip was the baptism moment. I had crossed the bridge and water was being poured over my head and the cross being made as our group sat on the back steps of the Lincoln Memorial crying, laughing, sharing, and hugging. The Holy Spirit poured out on all of us, new life reigned, and for a moment we were all clean. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. The bridge was long, bumpy, and creaked a lot as i walked across it but sure enough, it led me to the water.

So what is your bridge in your life? We relive our baptisms every day. Sometimes its a big long bridge, other days its a short small one. But at the end we find that water waiting for us, giving us new life, new hope, and new energy. May you find your bridge often and recognize the waters of baptism pouring over you each and every day!

In His Image

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

~Genesis 1:27

What does God look like? Well he looks like you!...and me...and your best friend...and your mom and dad! It's right there in Genesis, one of the first things we read in the Bible, he created us in his image! We all have God in us whether we know it or not, or believe it or not. This is the way God created us.

I've always found this to be interesting insight because if we are all created in God's image and he resides in each of us that means when we interact with each other we interact with God. Okay, maybe it's not a direct interaction like pray is but we are still interacting with him because he is present spiritually and physically as we are in his image. Plus as I am writing this and realize I continue to use the pronoun "he" or "his" or "him" and realize that is not necessarily the correct pronoun. Because both man and woman were created in God's image so God could be either or. But I digress, if we are truly created in God's image and when we interact with another person and build a relationship with that person what does that mean in regards to our interaction with God. When we flick off that person that cut us off in traffic, are we flicking off God? When you yell at your mother or father is that yelling at God? When you hold the door for your girlfriend or boyfriend is that holding the door for God? I would argue a resounding YES!

So the question then becomes, how does this change your interaction with people? I think we all would agree that we wouldn't flick God off. We might get angry with him at times but he is still God. I think most people, if they were face to face with God, would treat him or her or whatever with respect, love, and honor. So what happens to your relationships and interactions with people when you stop looking at them as Joe Schmo and start seeing God in them? And maybe the more difficult question is, how do we see in God in every single person we meet, even the bully at school? What do you think about these questions?

So in this new year and new decade may our resolutions be about God and may we strive to see the good and love of God in each and every person we meet. May we treat everyone as we would treat God. May the image of God be so brilliant in you that others will shine too! Peace!

Christmas Has Come

"Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."

~Luke 2:10

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my last post of 2010! I decided this morning as I sat to write this I had to go with this verse from Luke. When I read it I am always reminded of Linus from the Peanuts Gang reading the Christmas story during their Christmas play in the Charlie Brown Christmas (probably my most favorite Christmas movie!). My grandfather was a big fan of the Peanuts and nicknamed me "chuck" and now my Aunt and grandma continue the tradition with snoopy cards for most holidays. But there was always something that struck a chord with me when hearing Linus read these words. I think it was the innocence of his voice and the confidence that he read it with.

It is that attitude that I think we all should have about the Christmas story! An excited innocence that has no hesitation that YES! a child has been born to US and he will be our savior. If you really truly believe that this child is our savior I believe you can't say those words without excitement and joy. And it is through the innocence that allows us to not second guess this, not look back and say well what about this and that. Children have this amazing way of just hearing a story and saying, YES! And isn't it interesting that Jesus, our savior, comes to us in this innocence of a child?

To often we get caught up in the details of life, religion, and the world around us. But if we just look at the simplicity of it all, a child, born to us, our savior, the Messiah, and we don't let all of the complexities through it because a miraculous event of peace, love, hope, and joy! So this Christmas I invite you all to approach the coming days as a child, excited for the simplicity of the message and the event. Come to this day with a heart of innocence  and excitement. See the child that is for us as a child and see the miracle of this Christmas!

May you be blessed with peace, love, hope, and joy this Christmas and New Year. May God bless you with the simplicity and joy of a life filled with Him and His grace! May this child born to us live in you from this day on. Christmas has come! Merry Christmas!

Lying in a Manger

She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.Luke 2:7

All of us should use the gospel to evaluate ourselves. How near or far are we from Christ? How are we doing in faith and love? Many become inflamed with dreamy devotion when they hear about how impoverished Christ was when he was born. They grow furious at the people of Bethlehem and criticize their blindness and ingratitude. They think that if they had been there, they would have served the Lord and his mother. They wouldn't have allowed them to be so miserable. But these people don't even notice their own neighbors who are nearby and need their help. They ignore them and leave them as they are. Who on earth doesn't have miserable, sick, blundering, or sinful people around them? Why don't they show their love to these people? Why don't they do for their neighbors what Christ did for them?


Don't deceive yourself by thinking you would have treated Christ well when you don't presently do anything for your neighbor. If you had been at Bethlehem, you would have paid just as little attention to him as everyone else did. You only want to serve him because you know who he is. Let's say that he were to come, lie in the manger, and let you know that he is the one you now know so much about. Of course you would want to do something to help. But before that, you wouldn't have done anything.


Similarly, if you could see your neighbors now as they will be in the future, and if they were lying in front of you, then you certainly would take care of them. But because you only see them for what they are now, you ignore them. You fail to recognize Christ in your neighbors.
                        ~Martin Luther

Christ is in all of us. We were created in His image. Therefore, what we do to others we do to Christ. Doesn't this change the way we interact with each other? It sure makes you think differently about your bother or sister or mother or father and how you just treated them. Or how about the guy you just flicked off for cutting you off in traffic? Martin Luther beautifully illustrates how we are to treat each other, with love and kindness. I think he is absolutely correct in saying that if we were in bethleham 2010 years ago we would have done the same thing the people there did. We would have been to invovled in ourselves to realize who was knocking on our doors, who was right next to us, and the miracles that were happening. So are we still that blind? Who is the person next to you in line at the grocery store? Who is that waiter or waitress serving you food? Who is driving the car in front of you? Maybe this Christmas Season is our time to meet these people; to help them and love them. Maybe this Christmas miracle will be the one where we see Christ in everyone, even the tiny little baby born in a dirty old manager to a teenage girl from a poor town and we invite that baby into our homes instead of keeping him out in the cold hay. Christ is alive in us all! Joy to the world, and peace to you all!