Strong and Courageous: "27"

Last week during my annual review with my district council on ministry, I was asked the question (by my District Superintendent) who I related to in the Bible and why. I thought that was a good question.

My response was Peter & a little bit of Paul. I often relate to Peter because of both his gusto and his failures. There are times when my temper flares, but when it comes to Jesus, I melt. I relate to Paul because I love to write letters of encouragement and I'm a "tell-it-like-it-is" sort of girl. I get impatient with people who do not want to move forward and have felt shipwrecked and abandoned more than a time or two.

But I forgot about David. How could I forget about my man David? Remember David? Now David was the "dude" ya know? Everything he touched turned to gold until he slipped up and then things turned out not so good for him. I relate to David because he was first a shepherd boy. I like sheep. I also relate to David in the essence of the Psalms.

David was a man after God's own heart. He was in constant communication with God and often called upon him for protection. I relate to that ...... often. David had to make some unpopular choices which left him fearing for his life, hiding in a few caves, dodging arrows.

Some days, I have felt like David in the cave escaping those arrows. It is then (usually daily) that I read my favorite Psalm 27.

" The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger - so why should I tremble?" and on ........

And it is then, that I am reminded that God places me high upon a rock out of reach of those who throw tomatoes, or arrows, or stones at me. It is then that I hear his voice saying do not be afraid for I am with you. It is then that I become brave and courageous under fire. It is then that I can walk out of the cave with courage and grace.

The Lord is my light and my salvation ........... bring it on.

It is then, I feel God's peace.

Lori

Technology

Times they are a changin' ...... back in the day, meaning when I was a young pup, my friends and I used to sit in church and pass notes on paper while we were supposed to be taking sermon notes and paying attention to the message. Quite the Pastor in the making I was huh?

Enter technology ........ last Sunday our son Adam and his buddy aka: the Pastor's son decided it would be cool to send each other somewhere around 47 text messages with their cell phones while pretending to pay attention.

When Adam was questioned of course the number he sent was down to three text messages .... silly, silly boys. The proof is on the cell phones. That can be the beauty of technology.

This past weekend, I spent an overnight with our UMYs Design Team preparing for our March event. When filming our "Rules" video, we decided we may need to emphasize the point of "please do not have cell phones at all in worship" for this very reason.

I guess the guys took being "Connectional people" as we United Methodist are to the extreme seeings how they were sitting right next to each other. Silly, silly boys.

I'm escaping today ..... off to putz around in some Thrift Stores before tackling my paperwork and phone calls the rest of the week. I'll have my cell phone along .... please do not call or text me today ........ just kidding. Only if you need to.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Soak Up The Son

"SOAK UP THE SON"

Greetings in Christ! The scripture texts today are two fold, both from Luke’s Gospel. Both texts have to do with the birth and life journey of John the Baptist and his preparation for making a pathway for Jesus Christ, and preaching "light" to a darkened world. I have recently been reflecting on each passage, I hope you will join me in savoring them:

Luke 1: 65-66 Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, "I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way." (Read Luke 57-66 for full context).

And our second connected passage:

Luke 1: 76-79 And you, my little son will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the light of heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace." (Read Luke 1: 67-80 for full context).

As YIAT Coordinator, I am blessed by being able to watch "youth in action" as they communicate the love of Jesus Christ by the things they do and say, through their interactions with each other, their world, and by the events that they design in spreading that light amongst God’s people.

Something happened most recently at our Confirmation Gathering that has been imprinted in my mind, a transformation of such that is most gracefilled. At our closing communion worship that day, four of our youth were asked to serve communion. Our Bishop Sally Dyck nurtured them and assisted them in what to do. As I watched the four of them, serving the bread and the cup, a transformation took place. Four shy teenagers began to smile, bodies relaxed, heads held high ....... Christ emerged. And .... "I wonder what these children will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surely upon them in a special way".

Moments such as these revitalize me, even when I am exhausted after an event, it is the fuel that keeps me pressing on. And I think of those who are missing it for whatever reason, they are wrapped in darkness. I think of those who choose to relish on things such as theological differences that hinders the light of Christ from it’s full flame, and it makes me weep. I think on those who do not know this light and wonder if I am doing all I can to communicate it to the world. I think on all the youth who have blessed my life in so many ways by being a light to me, just when I need it most.

Sometimes it takes the transformation of a young life to bring us back to the light. Our Sr. High UMYs event is upon us, registrations are coming in. Why not experience the transforming love of Jesus Christ through teenagers as they prepare the way for our Lord’s everlasting love?

"The light of heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide them to a path of peace."

SOAK UP THE SON ................. UMYs 2006!!

Grace & Peace~

Lori

Be Still And Know

Greetings! Since I have not posted in two months, I thought I should at least let you know I am alive, well .... sort of.

I have been sick all week with a cold and no voice, on antibiotics regardless if it is viral (which my physician says drugs will not help) or bacterial (which drugs will help), I have felt miserable all week. My voice is slooowly coming back and am feeling a little better.

I am not very good with the "be still and know" stuff that God intends for me. Afterall, since I knew I would be home all this week, I was going to so through the mounds of paperwork that seem to pile up on me overnight. Yeah .... so that didn't happen.

But instead ..... I have also been resting, soaking in some quiet time, doing my 30 minutes a day of devotions and prayer, drinking gallons of OJ (does that count in my daily 5?), excercise?? sleeping.

My schedule gets crazy again next week ..... my annual review for candidate for ministry later in the week, a Culture of Call meeting Friday morning, on to St. Cloud with the UMYs team preparing for our upcoming event, home by late Saturday afternoon.

And God whispers ............ "be still and know".

I know you are there and I rest in your arms and surrender.