Monthly Archives: August 2012

For All To See…

Posted on by
1

It’s late and I SHOULD be sleeping but tonight is one of those nights were my brain doesn’t want to shut off! (Don’t you sometimes wish your brain had a shut off switch?!?) So since I can’t sleep, I thought I’d blog! Silly I know…but as a writer, sometimes that’s just what I need to do…..spill it out for everyone to see, hear, read…blemishes and all!! I’m probably not always the most elegant speaker but it’s what I do! It’s the one gift I really feel God has given me to share with the world! In a lot of ways, blogging is like leaving my journal open for all to see…which is an extremely scary place to be but at the same time, it is also freeing!!

So tonight because I can’t sleep and because the good ol’ brain won’t shut off, I guess I’m just going to attempt to put words on a page! Sorry if it isn’t Noble Peace prize winning or even noteworthy!!

Life is grand! I’m happy to be in a wonderful place that God has called me to! I love the people I serve!! They have blessed me! I have wonderful family and friends!! I’m blessed to have them in my life too!! Yet despite all this wonderfulness, there are still times when I feel restless; feel the Holy Spirit moving in my life! ( No reason in particular; just how I feel somedays!) And I wonder what that might mean?

This week my mind has been on the people of New Orleans and Hurricane Isaac! It was just over a month ago that I was there for the ELCA National Youth Gathering with 33,000 of my closest friends! :p So many of them are still recovering from Katrina! My prayers go out to them!

The ParaOlympics just started too! What inspiration!! And yet so many are focused on politics! Whose right? Whose wrong? Who should we elect? The ads are awful and demeaning and just plain ugly!! Why can’t we focus on what really needs to be done? Prayer and Thanksgiving! Perhaps we need to reread the book of Ephesians so we can be reminded that we are to be reconciled in Christ!!

Well that’s my journal page from this week out in the open for all to see! Hopefully I won’t regret leaving this page open later…

More Friends….Friends Friday Five Continued!

Posted on by
1

Well here’s five more friends I love……

1. Liz! Liz and I met at Wartburg Seminary–She is one of my bestest friends from seminary. I dislike that we dont get to hang out as much since we both live in different states and work in churches! I love how she likes to have fun. She has a tacky Jesus collection which has a velvet Jesus! I love that she drove all the way to ND to be part of my consecration as a Diaconal Minister. She is single too so we relate over that too! Miss her bunches!!

2. Anna who blogs at GirlWithBlog (and her husband Jared)!—Anna is such a sweetheart.I met her and Jared when they were working at SuperAwesomeBibleCAmp. They are both awesome people. One of the things I love about them is how much in love with each other they are. They tried so hard to have children and became parents almost a year ago. Their little man is PRECIOUS! I just want to eat him up and cuddle him up! I love Anna’s honesty! She is such an amazing mama, wife, and friend! She is a social media guru…or at least more of a guru than me…and I really appreciate that about her. She often reminds me through her blog posts how I need to trust in God and faith (which I try to do normally but that isnt always the easiest!)

3. Mackenzie and Kevin—I met these two at seminary too! They actually met and fell in love there too. MacKenzie and my friendship started out strange but we became such good friends. She loves theatre and so do! She loves to write and so do! Some of the many reasons I love her! Kevin loves being outdoors and worked at camp which is another reason I love him. He also is a stay-at-home dad with their daughter at the moment and that is so cool! I wish I could to see them more too! It was so great to see Kevin at the National Youth Gathering and to get a hug from him! I love that he literally picked me up and hugged me!

4. Lepper who blogs at marklepper.blogspot.com—We also met at seminary. He is just a fun goofy guy with a heart of gold. (I used to have the biggest crush on him!) He has a passion for working with people with disabilities and that is so awesome. He currently is part of a L’arche community in Kansas and I think that is so cool. I love that he isnt afraid to try something new! I love that he can make me laugh but also knows when I just need an ear to listen! I wish I got to see him more too! So many great memories involve all these friends listed here! I miss them all so much!

5. Becky—Becky is one of my dearest friends at this point in my life. Life hasnt dealt her the easiest life. I admire her courage and her strength. She is an amazing mother and wife. I love that she clings to her faith in the midst of life’s craziness. I love that I can talk to her about anything and we can pick up where we left off the last time we saw each other. She will do anything for others. Love her!!!

Friends Friday Five

Posted on by
2

For today’s Friday Five, write a little tribute to five of your friends! What makes them super special to me? What gifts do they bring to our friendship?

I have so many great friends so I’m going to start with my first five and then will do a few more posts in the next couple days! I don’t want to miss anyone!

1. My friend Heather who blogs at MissionBound! She is living in Japan currently with her husband! Heather is teaching English over there! One of the reasons I love her is she isn’t afraid to travel! She totally got me to spread my wings when it comes to taking adventures! I hope she doesn’t take this as a negative because I don’t see it as that…I love her quirkiness! I love reading about her and David’s adventures in Japan!

2. Sarah who blogs at EveryDayHoly and just joined the RevGals! We worked and met at SuperAwesomeBibleCamp! She loves being outdoors and I love that about her! I love that she randomly texts me….texts as simple as “have a great vacation!” I love reading her blog even though it is random (her words not mine)! She is such an amazing friend! One of her recent blog posts where she talks about singleness really hit home with me… Another reason I love her…she totally gets me!

3. Joni or as my blog readers may recall I often call her SonflowerChild on here! She is my best friend! We can laugh together! We can cry together! We support each other!We just simply get each other! We both dream to find our Mr Rights and have a family! I love everything about our friendship especially that it is firmly grounded in faith in a different way than most! It’s hard to describe and put into words!

4. Jen!!! We just met recently! We were introduced through a mutual friend who simply thought we’d hit off! We did!! I feel like we’ve known each other forever! Already like a sister to me! I immediately felt Peoria when we met! So cool! Excited for our friendship to grow and to learn more about each other! I love that we both work in a church in similar type positions and we can relate to what it’s like! Love her!!!

5. Pr. Dana and his wife Sue! They are aaaamazing!! I met them last summer at the Lutheran Academy of the Rockies! We hiked; we talked; we got to know each other better! I love Sue’s passion for helping those in need! I admire the wonderful work she is doing in the name of Christ! I love watching their relationship!so sweet and honest! Pr D is such a fun guy;rides a motorcycle, plays bass, etc! I love that he is who he is! They are blessings in my life in so many ways! Like a second set of parents to me in a lot of ways!

Here’s five! I’ll post more in the next few days! So don’t worry if I didn’t include you yet, your day is coming too! Love you all!! Which friendships are special to YOU??!

Authenticity

Posted on by
Reply

Authenticity is something that I strive for every day. Every day I try to be completely and wholey who God created me to be. All admit that I screw up. I’m not perfect! I am definetely a Lutheran…simultaneously both saint and sinner. Recently at the ELCA National Youth Gathering, the youth heard some phenomenal speakers (at least in my opinion)! However there are many who were and have been concerned about these speakers. It makes me sad because I think our youth (and even our adults) need to hear these stories. Yes, Pastor Nadia used to be big into drugs and alcohol BUT the truth is that by the grace of GOd and other believers, she has gotten out of the depths of those darknesses. I dont believe that her story teachs our youth that its ok to take drugs. I think it does quite the opposite; it teachs them what happens when you get into drugs and alcohol. My hope and prayer is that they take Nadia’s and all the speakers messages and makes a change in the world. I may be wrong..I may get to heaven one day and God may tell me something else…But what I do know is that Jesus was a radical. Jesus sat and ate with tax collectors, sinners and the outcasts!

Simplicity Friday Five

Posted on by
7

What are 5 things you do or things you have bought that have made your life simpler/easier to manage?

1. My IPhone—I never thought that I would break down and buy an Iphone but I did last December. It has been so helpful! I use my shopping list etc all the time on my phone!

2. My car—I was blessed to have my dad and grandpa buy it for me but it really does save time and helps me get around from here to there!

3. My microwave popcorn popper! So this might seem silly but its so awesome. It is an containter with a lid that you put actual popcorn kernels in and then put in the microwave. I used to buy microwave popcorn bags all the time. Now I just buy a big container of kernels and it lasts way longer than the bags!

4.Honoring my day off (Fridays)!

5.My Pampered Chef frying pan. I love that pan! If its dirty, I will wash it before I pull out one of the older crummier pans!

Bonus: What’s something you wish you could manage better—managing my time a little better!!

Making a Difference

Posted on by
Reply

August 1st, 2007—5 years ago today—my journey at the church I am currently serving began as the Director of Home and Family Ministry. It’s hard to believe that five years has already passed. I have been so blessed by the people of this community of faith. As I look back over the last five years, I am reminded of the relationships I have cultivated and continue to grow here. I hope that I have been a blessing to these relationships in the same ways they have been a blessing to me. I also am reminded of the strides we have made; adding more Milestones, equipping homes to take faith home, and in so many other ways. I pray that I will continue to cultivate and make a difference here.

As many of you know, I recently returned from the ELCA National Youth Gathering with 6 youth and another adult from DLC. The youth as well as the adults were blessed in so many and various ways. I’ve been listening a lot to Rachel Kurt’s song “Make a Difference” (which just happens to be the Gathering theme song). It is catchy but Rachel’s words really hit home. Have I made a difference…here at DLC, at home, in my relationships? Will I continue to make a difference? How will YOU make a difference?
I hope that every day every single one of us can make a difference in the world. What a different world it will be for our children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews etc!

My prayer is that we all may make a difference today and every day…in little or big ways!!!