Southwood Lutheran Church

Milestones at Faith Stepping Stones

The Minchow family has been through several ups and downs in life, but one thing is for sure; life is rewarding when you least expect it. Matt and Heather Minchow have 4 1/2 year old twins. Melanie, a very sweet and sometimes shy little girl enjoys going places but is the more hesitant of the two children. Logan, a very eager learner and outgoing little boy isn't afraid to be around people and enjoys any interaction he can get. Melanie was given the blessings to be a child who will grow to develop normally, whereas her brother Logan, has cerebral palsy with a seizure disorder and is severely delayed. His cognitive skills are up to par and he lets his family know by being able to respond to questions. Here is a little sample of what it is like when goals are met for the Minchow twins. This is an email Heather sent to family and friends after attending a Faith Stepping Stones Class at Southwood.

You know how each family has a proud moment in church or out in public when their children do something for the first time; well we had one of those moments this past Sunday.

Maybe your child is the loudest singer in church and everyone can tell, but you just beam.
Maybe your child holds a door open for someone, and totally catches you off guard.

WELL...............

The twins had Faith Stepping Stones Class at church Sunday. Total family class once a year at church involving a lesson and usually a craft. Pastor Michael Ryan, one of our great pastors was leading the class. Each family was sitting at a round table in the fellowship hall. He invited the 4&5 year olds to come to the front of the room for a story. Well, this is what happened.

Melanie: jumps up,,,,,takes off down the center of the room and heads to the front.....alone......alone......alone......never looked back......... her milestone.

Logan: Mommy pushes him forward and places him up front with the others and sits behinds him at a table with another family. So far so good. (I didn't want to HAVE to sit right by his wheels. I wanted to see what would happen). Pastor Ryan sets the lesson in motion then asks the kids, " OK so are you ready for me to read the story?" MY BOY!!!!! MY BOY!!!!! My boy was the only kid to answer him. "Yeah". Logan gave such and instant response that Pastor Ryan was a little shocked, as well as the other parents. Pastor Ryan's face was priceless. Then the Pastor looked at Logan and said, "Ok then. Let's get started". Nobody laughed. I think they were "afraid" to, but Mommy and Daddy were giggling and beaming with pride. HUGE MILESTONE. And many others were there to share it.

It's those little things that each family goes through that are a HUGE deal to us. We will never forget that morning. IT WAS GREAT!

See more photos of the 4/5 year old Faith Stepping Stones class here.

Look Beyond Devotion ~ Feb 29

Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts. Psalm 107:21-22

Reflect: You and I have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed for our sins. In Jesus we experience God's unfailing love. Will I respond by sacrificial thank offerings and tell others of his marvelous works?

Pray: You are so loving, gracious God. Thanks for forgiving my sins for Jesus' sake. Help me to give you a special thank offering in response to your great love for me. Amen.

Link of the Week: Encouraging Word

Reading the Bible is one of the best ways to draw closer to God. I don't know about you, but it's a constant struggle for me to set aside time to get into God's word. Here's a little thing to ease into it. I've been getting the Encouraging Word from K-LOVE emailed to my inbox for over a year. It helps ensure that every day I read and think about at least one passage from Scripture. You can sign up for the daily email here.

On a related note....The One Year Bible Blog was our Link of the Week a couple of weeks ago. Has anyone tried that out? How's it going?

Kim

Look Beyond Devotion ~ Feb 28

I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. For you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies. Psalm 54:6-7

Reflect: King David sacrificed freewill offerings to God because God was good to him. God delivered him repeatedly from his troubles. Am I as open to giving freewill offerings to God as David was?

Pray: O Lord, you are good. I praise your name. You have delivered me from all my troubles. Help me to give freewill offerings as King David did. Amen.

How Can I Keep From Singing

Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (1 Cor. 15:51-52 NRSV)

The song “How Can I Keep from Singing” will be sung in worship this Sunday (3/2/08). I found this blog posted by the Rev. Michel Jordan of Pennsylvania and decided I couldn’t say it any better!

Why do we sing when we come to worship? No one else sings anymore, at least not ordinary people. We pay people to sing and listen to them on the radio or in concert; our children sing in school before getting out into the real world and realizing singing is not something grown-ups do; we may even sometimes wish to sing, before remembering we cannot. But rarely does our world sing.

But here, when we gather, we Christians sing. We are a singing people. At our best, we sing loud and strong, lustily, with a full throat, whether we can do the tune justice or not; here, we sing.

What makes this place special? What makes this the place where ordinary people sing? What makes Christians a singing people? What makes us lean back and sing praise as our parents and grandparents did?

It is because our singing is an echo of a heavenly hymn. As Lowry (a famous hymnwriter and former pastor of The Baptist Church of West Chester) puts it, the Christian hears songs others cannot hear. The world can only hear the raging of a world lost in madness or the stubborn griping of the dissatisfied self. But the Christian knows how to listen in a world that only knows how to speak. And so we can hear this precious song, the song that "hails a new creation." It reminds us that the way we experience life now is not all there is, but there is more, much more. Hear Paul: "Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (1 Cor 15: 51-52 NRSV)

The Christian hears the song that these things are passing away and new things are coming; and our heart leaps up, and has to echo the heavenly song. We have the privilege of joining our voices with God’s song; indeed, how can we keep from singing? (Posted 2/15/06 by Rev. Michael Jordan http://pastormikejordan.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-can-i-keep-from-singing.html)

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul–
How can I keep from singing?
~ "How Can I Keep From Singing?" by Robert Lowry

The Earliest Easter You Will Ever See

This time of year, I hear it all the time, "I can't believe it's almost Easter." Feeling like Easter is coming especially early this year? You're right! Unless you're 95, you've never experienced an Easter this early, and Easter won't come this early again until 2160 (that's 152 years)! I got this in an email so can't credit the writer, but I confirmed the details on Snopes.

Have you realized how early Easter is this year? As you may have heard, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts: 1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2160 (152 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!). 2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Kim

I Pray for You

This is today's Faith at Work devotion (you can subscribe here). It expresses exactly how I feel about the people of Southwood -- much more eloquently than I can do myself. And the scripture really is my prayer for you today.

Kim

"When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen." - Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)

My friends, Read this. Read it again, read it slowly again. Yes, really! Know that this is my prayer for you, - not only for today, but for everyday. That as you are obedient to God's call, as you participate in his mission in this world, you will know in the very depths of your soul the depth of God's love and marvelous plan for you.

Never doubt that God has prepared you to make a difference in the world today. He has equipped you with gifts and talents, he has given you a sphere of influence which grows all the time. And he has placed in you a heart that is compassionate and caring and filled with his light and life.

Never doubtthe adequacy of his preparation, never doubt his power to follow through on his call, to lift you up when you are sinking down, and use you to shine a beacon of light and life in this dark world.

Give glory to God today, because there are people all over who thank God daily for you – for your heart – for your willingness to be sent – for your mission - your purpose, and most of all, – for you.

Simply bask in the love of your Savior, dwell in the house of your God and let your soul do back flips all day because he has chosen you. He is using you to change this world.

May he be the one who's given the glory by your life of obedience and achievements!

Bringing It Home:
1. Read it all again. Let it seep into your soul.
2. Believe it! And live what you believe!

Prayer:
Today, Lord, today may I live in the truth of these words! May my life reflect the beauty of your love! May my words, my actions be a reflection of your compassion. Fill me with joy. Fill me with grace. May I bring glory to you today. In your name I pray. Amen.

Jane Jebsen, Adult Discipleship Minister
Joy! Lutheran Church / Gurnee, Illinois
www.joylutheran.org

USE it on Wednesday.

This week we're talking about what it means for people to "get in the game." What would it be like to really risk participation in God's kingdom rather than comfortably observing from the sidelines.

Today's post comes from Faye Koehn. She's been reading a book that has had a big impact on her thinking about what it means to be a risk taker. Faye says:

Risk taking is very individual. What might seem risky to one person would be an adventure for someone else. However, it would be hard to imagine anyone not finding it risky to journey into the desolate region of northern Pakistan, Taliban territory, and attempt to start schools – schools that are targeted for girls who heretofore had been denied an education.

That is exactly what happens in the true and ongoing story of Greg Mortenson which is chronicled in the book: Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver. After failing to reach the top of K2, the world’s second highest mountain, Greg Mortenson is separated from his climbing group and, exhausted and disoriented, wanders into an isolated Pakistani village high in the mountains. While he is being nursed back to health, he is shown the children who are trying to do school work by scratching the dirt with sticks. Mortenson is so impacted by the villagers kindness to a stranger and their extreme poverty that he promises to come back and build them a school.

And that is just the beginning of his risk-taking. In an effort to raise money after he returns home, Mortenson wrote letters to 580 of the most financially successful people he could think of with only Tom Brokaw responding with a check for $100. He slept in his car so he wouldn’t have to pay rent and sold all his climbing equipment to raise $2000. His first hint at success was when a class of elementary school children sent him $623 in pennies – someone was listening!

Overcoming tremendous obstacles and traversing through dangerous and sometimes volatile situations, Mortenson has built 64 schools and has 100 more planned. There are several hundred Taliban girls that are going to the schools he has helped to start and two ex-Taliban that teach in the girl’s schools.

One person, willing to take a risk, can make a difference in God’s kingdom.

If you would be interested in hearing Greg Mortenson speak, he will be at Countryside Community Church, 8787 Pacific Street, Omaha, on Sunday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $10 which will be donated to the nonprofit organization he has started, the Central Asia Institute.

Look Beyond Devotion ~ Feb 27

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 50:15-17

Reflect: Is King David suggesting that we not offer any sacrifices to God? Of course not, for he himself gave many. He is saying that the most important thing is not to go through the motions of "sacrificing" to God, but to offer our broken spirits and contrite hearts to God. Do I have my sacrifices in the right order?

Pray: Lord, accept the sacrifices of my broken spirit and contrite heart, and forgive my sins for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Should I eat the Chocolate Cookie?

I absolutely love these. The Reese's peanut butter egg candies that come out just before Easter. (They also have hearts on valentines day and pumpkins at Halloween, of which I have equal affection for.) I love them. I put a bag in my freezer and then I can just grab out a little snack when I need one.

Yesterday as I finished off a bag (a whole bag) of these that I had just purchased the week before - I decided that it was time for me to take a break from all that sugar for awhile. So I packed up the other bag (the one that by some miracle of willpower remained unopened in my freezer) and sent it off to my brother for his birthday. When the package was in the mail I said to myself: "That's it, I am going to cut back on sugar for the next week."

Since then here's what I've had:

1. A bowl of Ice Cream as a snack before bed last night.
2. A candy bar as a midmorning snack.
3. An Eileen's Sugar Cookie as a dessert after lunch.

And, there are some chocolate cookies sitting in the office here that I am seriously considering partaking in before the end of the day. Is that cutting back? NO!

And its not just about the sugar either. It just got me to thinking about how quickly I lose focus. How quickly I forget to do the things that I really want to do. How quickly I can catch myself doing that which I vowed not to do.

In Romans 5 Paul says:

"For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do."

Those Reese's are really just a metaphor for how pervasive sin is in my life. I can't not sin. I will always do the thing that I do not want to do.

Thank goodness for Jesus. Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs to deep for words. And God who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

What a great way to define prayer and God's power to work in our lives. We're not always going to get it right. But God's power is so much greater than the power of sin. Thanks be to God, whose Spirit moves on our behalf.

I guess I'll forgo the chocolate cookie...

...until tomorrow.

Pastor Sara