For All The Saints ......

Yesterday in worship we celebrated All Saints Day. It was my first as a Pastor and I was a little anxious, felt as if I wanted to run around the church a few times. I just wanted the service to be nice for the families. We had eight Saints, two of whom I as their new Pastor buried, one as recent as last week. We had the families come up and light a candle as names were read. It was very nice, very emotional, very Spiritfilled.
The Holy Spirit showed up, as always .... when we let go and let God instead of relying on our own strength ... and it stirred something inside of me and I am overwhelmed by God's blessing. I am enveloped with the mystery of holiness among us, as we think about life and of death, the great fathom between us and God. How powerful, how gracefilled, how "sanctus".
I told the congregation about two Saints in my life ... my maternal Grandmother Chub and Merrill Abbey ... two people who have had such a wonderful impact on my life and were Jesus with skin on to me. Always encouraging, always loving, always believing in me .... and so today, I remember them and many others who have gone to be with Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for blessing me ....

Restless Ramblings

It's one of the days where I am restless, not in a bad restless sort of "get me out of here" sort of way, but in the sort of way where you can sense that God is just on the cusp of doing something great, like a kid at Christmas waiting for Santa .... not to equate God and Santa, but the feeling is like that.

Sometimes, when my mind is processing, I have to move, walk, pace ... those that know me ... know ..... that's how I think, how I create and once I'm satisifed with the work I can rest.

They were giggling at me tonight at the Worship meeting .... I didn't sound very excited about my portion for All Saint's Service ... so I had to explain that wasn't the case, but rather my mind was working on the "flow" of things and at that particular moment things weren't "flowing", once I had it worked through .... I would be very excited ... trust me!

And so when I feel this restlessness, it just means that God is at work, and I must just let go and be open to whatever it is that He is trying to work through in me for the life of the church, and by the way it feels ...... it's gonna be good.

I'm off to a Women of Faith Event on Friday, maybe it will help me to focus .... in any rate ...

Always ... be God's!

Grace & Peace for the Journey ~

Lori

Discipleship 101

It's been so long since I have posted, whew! I have been adjusting to being a Local Pastor and have been blessed by my new congregation. They are so Spirit-filled it makes me take a step back and say "Thanks God!".

I have four awesome youth in Confirmation class and we are just getting to know each other. I can already see little glimpses of God's grace at work in each of their lives. They are smiling more. Please God use me as your vessel to draw them closer to you.

They asked me about the fish I always draw and I told them Matthew 4:18-20 .... two girls looked it up .... "follow me and I will teach you how to fish for people". It really is quite simplistic if you think about it ... I mean really, discipleship is not rocket science. Then how come more people aren't falling in love with Jesus?

Tonight, I told them the "flock of geese story". Why geese fly in a V-shaped formation ... better wind volocity, they carry the flight together so as not to get as tired out ... hhhm? a little like the Body of Christ should be perhaps?

We made a poster of a flock of geese and signed our names to it, promising to help carry each other through this journey called Confirmation and hung it on the wall ... simplistic? Maybe ... but it worked for Jesus.

Nuff said ....

Blessings on your journey,

Lori

Humbled

It's been awhile since I have blogged, sorry, I'll try to keep this a little more updated. My life has been a little busy the past month. Hectic, new, exciting .... but oh so Spirit-filled.

I began the month in Fort Scott, KS for 2 weeks of intense school for License to Preach I met so many wonderful new friends that will last a life-time. We laughed, cried, lived & journeyed together as we learned about God's call on our lives as Local Pastors. Thank you my friends, you know who you are ... what we endured ... and how much you mean to me! Be blessed!

After returning from KS, I celebrated with my home church in saying, "Bye for now" as I preached the word to the congregation who gave me "roots & wings" and I love you all so very much. I was humbled and blessed by your letters. I hold them close to my heart and return to them often. Thank you for raising me in Christ!

It has been 3 weeks now, and you have welcomed me so whole-heartedly as your new Pastor, thank-you! You have been so kind and gracious to my family and friends ... and we've even had an unexpected guest now haven't we???? "And just who IS our neighbor?".

I have been humbled as my hands have broke bread with you. I have been Spirit-filled by your commitedness to trying new things, I have challenged you and you have met them with an open mind to grow in Christ and I am so proud of you all!! I have been tired at times, but God's grace has carried me. I have been reminded by you ... that God's in charge and we are vessels of His grace.

I am so pleased and humbled to serve you ... and off we go where he leads us!

Joyfully ...........
Pastor Lori

It Takes A Village .....

Last night our youngest son Adam graduated from highschool. We are so proud of him! School has never been easy for him, ADD is challenging. We are thankful to all his teachers who have helped him along in his school years. Adam is sooo happy that he has made this accomplishment. He is thinking about a career in auto mechanics.

The Commencement speaker last night talked about how our town was a village, geographically speaking. It is a small town, and in small towns (villages in this case), you have the advantage of growing up knowing most of the people in that village. There is a sense of belonging, family, values are an important part of life.

I have been thinking about villages this week. Tuesday morning, we learned of a tragedy that struck our village hard. One of our close friend's son was injured while serving in Iraq which resulted in his right leg being amputated just below the knee and his left leg at the knee.
Andrew, is a special part of our lives. Just three years ago, Andrew (along with our son JJ & friends) also graduated from highschool and school wasn't exactly an easy task for him either. We were so proud of of boys then too.

All of our kids have grown up together, in this village. We have laughed, cried, served side-by-side at countless youth group & church functions, shared so many times together at Big Stone Lake fishing & fellowshipping together .... good times, rough times, times we have slipped away from one another for a period of time ... all with God's grace interwoven bringing us together again. Sometimes, we look back and wonder how we got through some of those years.

It has been said, "That it takes a village to raise a child", and it is true here in ours. A ministry collegue asked me recently, "how will I evangelize, how will I show people the grace of God?", and we talked about "villages" and that we do what we do here ... we visit, we have coffee, we bring food, we love ... we get through it together ... through grace ... God's grace is sufficient.

Andrew has grown in God's grace through lessons and love of the village, and he is strong and brave, and giving ... and will rise above this obstacle as he has many times before .... because he has this village. It takes a village to raise a child.

Come home Andrew .... your village is waiting.

Grace & Peace ~

Lori

I Surrender

I haven't posted for awhile. It isn't that I haven't had anything to blog, it's just that I wasn't sure how much I wanted to articulate via blogland. This coming weekend is my last big YIAT meeting ..... soon I will have to change the name of my blog to something else because I will no longer be "YIAT Mama". The past 6 yrs have come and gone so fast. I can't belive it. The emotions in which I am feeling this week are all over the place, it is hard to articulate so I will try the best I can because it is time I put them to written words.

I don't want to give the wrong impression because I know some of my soon-to-be parishoners read my blog and I want you all to know how very blessed I feel to be your soon-to-be Pastor. The emotions I am feeling of letting go of one ministry and stepping into the next are so Spirit-filled and hard at the same time. The past 6yrs of my life have been so immersed in the ministry of the Youth In Action Team. My calendar as well as my heart reflects that today.

As I look ahead to this Fall, all the dates I normally would have filled with meetings will now be filled with other things .... new things, new challenges and chapters. And I will be thinking and praying for you as I walk those dates with you from a very different place.

I have been so blessed by all the people whom I have met through this ministry over the years. Thank you for sharing your life with me. And I will still be around via all my technology and such, so be sure to stay in touch. And also be kind and gracious to whoever God calls into YIAT leadership just as you have been to me.

This road has lead us both to the mountain top and the valley over the years, but all has been blessed by His steps and as always, faithfullness has prevailed. I hope I have taught you to persevere in your walk even in the tough times, and I hope I have taught you to surrender and follow where and when God calls your name, and I hope I have taught you to lead with humility and grace, and not to take yourself to seriously, and I hope I have taught you that you matter in life, that life is a gift and you need to live it well and with intergrity and virtue, and I hope I have taught you to love in all things.

Because you have blessed my life in so many wonderful ways and have taught me about myself though God's grace and call.

Today, once again .... I surrender.

Lori

She's Laughing Again

It was well past lights out and as I laid on the church floor, I could hear her giggling. My normal response would have been to crawl out of my sleeping bag, grab my Scooby-Doo flashlight, and issue a gentle yet firm .... "Ladies .... it's lights out!". But instead, I laid there and smiled to myself. She's laughing again.

She has had a hard year, the loss of a dear friend in a car accident last Spring, add in the many issues of being a teenager, sometimes life can just plain stink .... and she wrapped herself in darkness. Her eyes grew hollow, her attire grew black, isolation & chemicals.

And so I laid there, exhausted and wishing for a couple hours of sleep and gave thanks to the giver of life that she is back. I see Jesus in her eyes again. I hear him in her laugh.

When she leaves on Saturday, she gives me a hug ... and she literally skips away.

Thank you Jesus for early morning giggles on church floors.

Amen.