Change or Challege - It's all about the attitude

Today we tried a few new things in our worship service at St. Andrew.

(Gasp! New things?!!! In a Lutheran church?!!!)

We projected our worship service up above the cross on the front wall of our sanctuary and eliminated the bulletin. (Our bulletin is printed in its entirety…we do not use hymnals. Visitors have thanked us profusely for this consideration.) The choir led a few gathering songs and our choice of music leaned more toward the contemporary. The choir sang its anthem from a different spot in a different formation.

We handed out a survey and asked for a response to how people felt about the new style and format.

The service itself was not altogether different. We added two gathering hymns. Otherwise, worshippers experienced the same order of worship featuring our normal Lutheran order of worship.

The survey responses that were turned in, so far, were generally favorable…especially to do something like this once in a while, but not every Sunday. There were a lot of good comments about the logistics of the video presentation, in particular the size/placement of the projection and words and some people having difficulty viewing from the front without getting a pain in the neck.

Lutherans are often labeled the “singing Christians.” For all that many people don’t sing up, or sing out, they do prefer to see their music notes. Even if they can’t read music, being able to watch the dots go up or down helps them anticipate where the music is going. But for others, this didn’t seem to be a problem.

There were a lot of good comments that our Worship and Music team can now look at for how we might like to progress. Truthfully, many of these comments confirmed what we already know from previous surveys of new worship trials.

Unnfortunately, I know of a least two people who were extremely put off by what we attempted to do today; and yet, they did not fill out a survey. How can the Worship and Music team balance out those grumblings if we don’t have concrete comments/suggestions for what was unsettling or displeasing? How many people do those two represent? How many others were displeased and did not comment. Hopefully, those responses will filter in over the next two weeks but I am guessing maybe not.

Interestingly, the parents of two children in attendance (two separate families) commented that their children were really engaged in worship today and found it fun.

Lutherans have a lot of jokes to the tune of “change being a four-letter word.” It generally doesn’t sit well with life-long Lutherans.  But, St. Andrew is a mutt of a congregation, gathering people from all walks of life, backgrounds and religious upbringing. We are NOT all life-long Lutherans.

Being the church of the 21st century means being open to CHANGE, while still holding on to the values and traditions that define us. The CHALLENGE is in finding a way to do it well while respecting all viewpoints.

I believe St. Andrew is capable of navigating that path. It’s all a matter of attitude.

Has your church tried new worship formats? How were they received? How did you make changes and transitions?

http://www.elcaandy.org/

Elderly and alone, Young and clueless

In my life, there has been a continual parade of elderly people. My life has been deeply shaped by their presence, mostly in good ways.

American society is often quick to adopt the newest and latest technology, tools, and methods. We are known for being a consumer society with no firm attachments to our “stuff.” Unfortunately, that often includes our senior citizens as well.

Our society has moved into a place where dual incomes are necessary, in most cases, to have the lifestyles we want, or in some cases just to survive. Our current time, with all its advances for women, has wreaked havoc on an ancient family structure in which the elderly were cared for by their families, usually in a family home, usually by a female stay-at-home caregiver. (Not that women shouldn’t have the opportunities we do, I’m just stating that our current societal structure has changed the family structure dramatically.)

Many of our seniors live alone in their homes, move to assisted living, or are placed in nursing homes. Many of our children, born to parents who are older by choice of delaying the start of their families, have very little contact with elderly people. What results is a generation of young people with very little contact with the elderly.

What happens when we don’t interact with people who are different from us? We often come to fear or de-value them.

What happens when we don’t create relationships with people who are vulnerable? The vulnerable become invisible and suffer the lack of caring and oversight.

I have witnessed this first-hand as a Girl Scout leader. After convincing my girls that we should make holiday cookies (as part of a cooking badge) to take to a nursing home and then spend time singing Christmas carols and mingling, I was saddened to see how little experience the girls had with the elderly. They feared them. Some were disgusted by them. Some looked on them with pity. Some laughed at them. (Thankfully they were perfectly behaved while in the company of the elderly, but this was what they revealed after we left.) None of them wanted to go back and visit them again.

As these Girl Scouts grew older, they were more receptive to some of our interactions with the elderly, but it was clearly evident that many of them had very little contact with seniors in their daily lives.

What can we do to help our children value the elderly among us?

1. Many churches have an elderly population. The Church offers a wonderful opportunity to bridge generation gaps. Change your seat, say hello to a senior, and sit with some of the charter or senior members of your congregation. Ask them about how your church got started. Listen to their stories. You’ll be amazed. They’ll feel valued and appreciated.

2. Make a point to look for those elderly among your neighbors who might need a hand with raking the leaves, snow shoveling or carrying in the groceries. Then take your children show them what it means to be a servant of Christ.

3. Be a model of friendliness to and respect for the elderly. Show your children how it is done.

4. Visit the elderly in your family or congregation. Ask questions about their lives when they were young and then encourage your children to listen to their stories instead of disappearing to another room. They have a lot of wisdom and some very funny anecdotes to share, even if they’ve shared it before.

I like to think that my children’s lives have been enriched by their interactions with the many elderly people in their lives. I think they would agree with me, even if they grumble along with me about another weekend of raking leaves or morning of shoveling snow.

Leviticus 19:32 “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.”

Blinded by the Sun (Son?)

Have you ever been blinded for a short period of time?


Today is another sunny day with blue skies and snow covered ground in Parsippany. After being outside for a while, I entered the house and was blind…blinded by the sun and the snow. I really couldn’t see anything. It only took a moment or so for my eyes to re-adjust to the darker interior, but it got me to thinking about Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.

I’m pretty lucky. I live in a country with the most advanced medical care and treatment facilities. I have access to the best doctors in the world. I have health insurance, though not vision coverage (but I could if I opted to pay for it). I turn on my tap and can drink water safely without wondering about the bacteria that might make me sick or rob my sight.

In this day of medical miracles it seems like blindness is a much rarer condition than in biblical times, at least in America, and especially among young people.

I know there are African and South American countries today where River Blindness, or onchocerciasis, is caused by a parasite transmitted by the blackfly. Programs of medical treatment of whole communities can prevent this blindness and the spread of parasites. According to the World Health Organization, 270,000 people are blind due to this parasite and 18 million people are affected with the disease worldwide. (World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/oncho/en/) I’m proud to say my husband’s company donates the medicine for prevention and treatment of this disease in humans.

In the United States, the primary causes of blindness are glaucoma and cataracts, mostly affecting the population over 50. But amazingly approximately 1 in 10,000 babies born in the United States will be born with glaucoma as well. (Glaucoma Research Foundation) (http://www.glaucoma.org/learn/glaucoma_facts.php)

Blindness was not uncommon in Jesus’ day. There are 91 citations of blindness in the Bible, 54 are in the New Testament, 46 of which are in the four Gospels.

On Saul’s journey to Damascus he is blinded by a bright flash of light. (Acts 9) In his blindness he is dependant upon the kindness of others to lead him to Damascus, house him, and reveal the Lord’s plan for him. In this revelation, Saul is changed and his sight is restored. He now sees the world differently because he has come to know Jesus. Saul has done a 180 degree about face. His name is now Paul. Because of his new insight, Paul sets off to tell the world of the Gentiles about the Good News of Jesus. We might not know of Jesus today if not for Paul.

How often are we blinded to our calling by the trappings of our daily lives? How ironic that in order to see clearly, Saul had to be made blind!

What is it that blinds you to your calling? What can you do to regain your insight?

http://www.elcaandy.org/

Slippery Slopes

If you ski or snowboard, you love the snow and avoid the ice.

When you drive, snow will raise your caution quotient; ice might make you abandon the trip.

So why do so many of us not run the other way when faced with the slippery slopes of temptation? I think many times we think we can navigate safely and avoid the fall. How foolish we are.

What kind of slippery slope am I talking about? The same kind that ultimately sinks politicians, catches married men or women in adultery, and lands your neighbor in jail for drunk driving. It begins with simple things and small temptations.

I think most of us know the kinds of things that tempt us: food, alcohol, a few extra bucks, seductively dressed people of the opposite sex, wanting that flat screen TV like your friend has, a few extra minutes of sleep, etc. We also know what happens when we give in to those temptations: extra pounds, a hang over, working too many hours at the expense of our families, shallow relationships, unnecessary debt, being late for work, etc.

Our lives are bombarded by temptations. While it might seem like falling victim to those little temptations is not such a big deal, it is the culmination of many little slip ups that can send us crashing down the mountain on a sheet of ice.

“Well, it’s just a little ice cream.” 10 years, 50 lbs. and a health crisis later your little bit of ice cream every day after dinner was the start of your slippery slope.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to look.” Too many surreptitious glances, one suggestive conversation, a harried spouse at home who might not have been taking care of his or herself or giving you the attention you desire, and a no-one-will-know-me-here-while-I’m-out-of-town liaison can end you up in divorce court.

We all fall victim to the things that tempt us at some point. Many times we end up sliding along the ice toward disaster. What can we do about it?

God gives us a lot of tools to help us deal with the temptations of our lives.

God gives us the Bible. The Bible is a guidebook for steering clear of icy patches and an instruction manual for recovering from a fall.

God gives us Jesus and Holy Communion. Jesus is the grappling hook lifeline that can stop our slippery descent. When we know we’ve stepped onto the ice and start to slide, it is Jesus who throws us the lifeline and can pull us back to safety. We just need to look around for the rope.

God gives us friends. Not those so-called friends who will laugh at us if we fall, but those in our faith community who will point out the icy patches and support us as we recover if we should fall.

God gives us prayer. Through prayer we separate ourselves from the world for a moment so that we can focus on our relationship with God. Being in relationship with God gives us roots to withstand the tempests of temptation that try to rip us away from that relationship.

Paul writes about temptation in 1Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you will be able to endure it.”

God is faithful. He will not leave us at the bottom of that slippery slope. We are children of God. But wouldn’t it be better not to stray so close to that slippery edge? Use the tools we’ve been given.

Lord, help us to avoid the little temptations as well as the big ones. Guide us away from the things that will propel us down a slippery slope and further away from our relationship with you. Amen.

What do you do to avoid the temptations of your life?

http://www.elcaandy.org/

"Bread of Christ for you?" Potato Chips and Holy Communion

How do your children get to know Jesus?

Let me tell you a story about one of the ways this happens. My children have been attending St. Andrew since they were infants. At that time my husband did not yet worship with us, so bringing a child or two to worship was always more about the training up than what I could get out of it. I made allowances for the nursery/child care when they were being disruptive, but generally my diaper bag was filled with “stuff” to occupy them. Usually it worked out fine.

St. Andrew is a place that truly understands children and loves to have them in worship with us. We also provide child care for those children who are just not going to make it through the service or so that the parents who really need to worship without their young charge can do so. It is not uncommon for our children to wander a little during worship, sometimes they dance during hymns, and sometimes they bring the congregation a few chuckles with an amusing comment.

By staying in worship, we hope that eventually everything they hear and see will sink in to their brains, right?

The thing is…you never know how a child’s brain processes what they see and hear.

Once, during a family party for some occasion, I found my four year old daughter walking around to all the adults seated around the room placing a single potato chip in their hands and saying, “The bread of Christ for you.” As you can imagine, many adults were in stitches with laughter and predicted a future in the seminary for her.

My daughter had come to know Jesus.

With what little understanding her four year old brain could grasp, she understood that the grown ups around her received Christ when they went up to the front of the church.

When Pastor Fred joined St. Andrew he began the practice of welcoming children to their first Holy Communion around first or second grade. Previously they had to wait until fifth grade. His thought was that if a child could put his hands out to ask for Jesus, he should not be denied. While it is a standard joke among Lutherans that change is a four letter word, this is one change that was worth adopting. (By the way, I think St. Andrew is pretty adept at change, but I hear we’re not typical anyway.)

By being welcome in worship, our children see, hear and learn that they are loved, that there is a place for them in God’s house.

They come to know Jesus. Amen.

What does your church do to help children get to know Jesus?

P.S. Some of you who know me have heard this story before, but I thought I’d finally commit it to paper (or web in this case). My thanks to my daughter for providing the chuckle and letting me tell the story. Oh, and no seminary for her…She’s studying to be a forensic biologist specializing in DNA. But, her heart is full of love for Jesus and I know she’ll let that shine in all the things she does in her life.

http://www.elcaandy.org/

Do you trust God as much as the pilot?

I was outside enjoying the beautiful weather and blue sky today, and watched a jet airplane cross the sky. It got me to thinking about trust.

First of all, I know there is a mountain of physics behind it all, but it still amazes me that several hundred tons of metal can get enough lift to fly. Then I thought about how much we trust those airplane design engineers, airline mechanics and pilots to safely transport us from one location to another. For most people, air travel may invoke a small amount of anxiety, but we generally trust that we will arrive at our destination safely. We board that plane without much thought about the trust we have placed into the hands of strangers.

The same goes for travel on a train, bus, or in another person’s car (although if you are driving with your teenager you might be having some anxious thoughts and stomping that imaginary brake pedal).

I wondered, do I trust God that easily? When we get on that plane we turn everything over to that pilot, entrusting him or her with our lives. When we get up in the morning, we often probably also move along into our daily activities trusting that we’ll go to bed at the end of the day without any tragic incidents. But do we think about who is at the controls of our life?

Many people will debate the issue of free-will or fate but ultimately the argument will boil down to your faith. As a Lutheran Christian, I believe that God has a plan for me but that He has given me the free-will to make choices as to whether or not I will choose to follow the road that gets me to that destination God has planned. Along the way, I believe that God gives me the Holy Spirit to constantly point me back toward the path I should be traveling. I will continue to choose to listen or not and the Holy Spirit will continue to try to show me the way back. So in this analogy, I am at the controls but God has filed the flight plan and the Holy Spirit is my co-pilot. Is my safe arrival at my destination guaranteed?

It’s hard to give control of your life to someone else, yet we relinquish at least some of that power all the time (to airline pilots, bosses, spouses, children, parents, friends, advertising agencies and marketers, banks, governments, etc.). But considering how much can go wrong each day, is that wise? Do these entities to which we relinquish partial control of our lives have our best interests at heart? It is only human to want to control the path of your life, or to regain control of it if you’ve given too much control to others.

But we are more than just human. We are children of God. God will not let his children perish if we give Him the controls.

Will I choose to be the co-pilot and let God be the pilot, or will I assert myself and rule the cockpit?

How much do you trust God to pilot your life?

http://www.elcaandy.org/

Why do you serve in church leadership? Or not?

Tonight is our monthly church council meeting at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Parsippany. We have three newly elected members on the council beginning tonight, one who has served many times before, one who is re-upping his term of service and a couple-years-new-to-our-congregation member who has served on a previous church council.

It is no secret that serving on the church council can sometimes be a thankless job. And yet, these three have clearly felt the call to do so…on more than one occasion or for more than one term. Why?

Our church council is served by nine elected members, the pastor, a financial secretary, and a treasurer. The council is supported by and provides support to a variety of ministry teams: Children’s Circle Day Care, Finance, Stewardship, Christian education, Ministry-in-action, Evangelism, Property, Worship and Music, and Fellowship (in no particular order). All these people put in an extraordinary commitment of time, talent and love to advance the ministry goals of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. Why?

Because they are called. God has called them to service. Each of them has felt the love of God and knows that he/she is a child of God, and in return wishes to return that love in service to Him. He has gifted His children with a variety of skills and knowledge, and commands us to use them for His glory through his Church in the world, and through St. Andrew. I know there are people who have been approached to serve on a church council and replied something to the effect, “oh, I can’t do that.”

You know what? You can. You can do it too. Many of the people who have served as ministry leaders or council members also felt they couldn’t do it but, as it is often said in church circles… “God doesn’t call the equipped…He equips the called.”

If your heart is in it, God will provide you with the talents.

God bless those who enter this upcoming year, full of all sorts of challenges, having felt the call of God to serve His Church.

What is God calling you to do?

Who wrote your Valentine card?

Did you ever wonder about the people who write those Valentine’s Hallmark cards? Penning proclamations of love for people you don’t know must be a bit of a challenge.


I mean, how long do you search through all those Valentine’s Day cards looking for just the right one? Think of all the scenarios those writers have to prepare for… the long-time married couple, the new date, the friend who is hoped to become more than friends, the divorcee, the widower finding new love, the love of friends, etc. Then take each of those scenarios and you’ve got to create the mushy sentiment, the humorous sentiment, the serious sentiment, the religious sentiment, etc. It’s a wonder you can find that perfect card. Sometimes we make our own.

I know someone who makes His own cards everyday. Actually, He sends a Valentine to you every minute of every day. God, your creator, is your everyday Valentine and He has sent the Holy Spirit to live within you (and me) to make sure you know that you are never alone. God has paid an extraordinary price for this gift; he has given His only Son as the price to guarantee that you (and I) will be with Him forever and for us to know that His love is guaranteed.

God knows your every thought and heart beat. He can pen a Valentine for your every experience to ensure you know that you are loved.

Are you opening the mail?

Samson to God: "Why me?"

I can imagine Samson saying “Why me, Lord?”

We’ve all heard the story of Samson and Delilah, of his strength because of his uncut hair, of her betrayal, and his ruination of the Philistine’s. I was thinking about it as my son and I received haircuts this week.

What follows is a perfect reminder to me that there is always more to the story than we remember and why we should continue to engage in Bible study.

I had read the story of Samson and Delilah some time ago, probably for a Sunday School lesson. Probably under the pressure of time, I only read the appointed verses which were likely Judges 15:14-16:30. One more verse would have detailed that Samson was one of the judges of Israel. Wow do I feel stupid. I feel like I should have known that. (Maybe I did but forgot it because it wasn’t pertinent to the lesson of the story for that Sunday School day?) It puts a different spin on the story for me now.

More importantly, I set about reading the chapter or so BEFORE the Samson and Delilah story. (Start at Judges 13) Here is where details of Samson’s life purpose are revealed to us. He was born of a promise by the Lord to a barren woman and her husband, to be used for God’s purpose.

Samson was to be a Nazirite to God, a person who took a vow to be set apart for God’s service. You could take a temporary vow to be a Nazarite, but Samson’s parents had made the vow for him for a lifetime of service as commanded by the angel who brought the promise of his birth.

Samson’s life and his trials mirrored the experience of the Israelites; when he was faithful he thrived, when he ignored God trouble seemed to find him.

During his life, Samson was betrayed by his wife and her people, then by her father and his friend, then later by his lover Delilah. He ultimately would be humiliated by being paraded around by the Philistines as a trophy and prize.

Samson was incredibly strong; his strength a gift from God. Throughout his life he often played tricks on those who sought to learn the secret of his strength (not cutting his hair). He sinned by marrying a pagan (and an enemy), by his sexual liaisons with women, by his revenge, by his boastfulness regarding his strength, by allowing his lust to overrule his calling, and by giving in to the persuasion of others instead of doing what was right and safeguarding the gift given to him by God. It seems amazing that he was appointed a judge of Israel, but apparently his strength and the times he was faithful to God were enough for the people of Israel.

For all his trials, I can imagine Samson would have asked, “Why me, God?”

But God had a plan for Samson. Even though Samson continued to choose unwisely and stray from God, God was able to move Samson through his trials to bring him to the place where he remembered God and fulfilled God’s calling for him. By his destruction of the temple to the god Dagon, Samson began the fulfillment of the promise that God would deliver His people from the Philistines.

While we may suffer through trials and ask, “Why me, God?” we can look to our own lives for the ways we have chosen to stray from the path He has set for us and that make our life difficult. We can learn from this that though we make mistakes and choose to walk away from God, he does not abandon us. He will be with us to the end.

We may not understand his purpose for us, but the story of Samson helps us to see that God is with us helping us to fulfill the calling He has given us, if we let him.

Have you ever been through rough times in your life where you’ve said, “Why me, God?” In retrospect can you see that God may have had a plan for you? Or maybe that plan is not yet clear to you and you still struggle with that question? Do you believe that God has a plan for you?

Can you learn character?

Character. It is an impressive and important sounding word, or a silly goofy word, depending on how you use it.


When we say someone is a person of character, we mean he is true to his word, usually acting in a correct manner, seems to know right from wrong, and acts accordingly. When used in this way, having character is respectable.

When we say someone IS a character, we usually mean he is funny or a goof-off, and the descriptive can be positive or negative, but usually the latter.

We all want to be people of character. We want to do the right thing. We want to be true to our word. We want to be fair and intelligent in decision making. We want to be able to stand up for what is right even when its not popular. We want to be respected. Good leaders are people of character.

What if we are not always a person of character? Are we doomed to mediocre habits, decision making, and actions? Is it possible to sometimes be a person of character?

I want to believe that we can aspire to be people of character and in the process often fail. The person who succeeds more often is the person more likely to be judged to be a person of character.

I know that there have been many times when I have looked back on my actions and been less than pleased with myself. The question is then, do I learn from that? I believe that it is in being conscious of what we want to be, and in the striving to be that person, that we can “build” or move toward being more of a person of character than less. Being a person of character requires conscious thoughts and actions, until those ideas and behaviors are automatic and engrained in our subconscious and into our hearts.

The values instilled in our children through the experiences of scouting, or other activities that test their mettle, often help them to “build” character. The ways we respond to our life experiences, and the ways we engage in interactions with others, give us mile markers to judge our own behaviors and make modifications. When we fail to change our behaviors is when we fail to “build” our character.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:3-5 “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” Paul believes we can learn character.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we be tested enough to become people of character, so that we may endure through our trials, shine as examples of God’s handiwork, and serve as leaders to others who are being tested so that they might have hope. Amen.


Do you struggle to be a person of character? Or has life challenged you sufficiently that you find being a person of character to be relatively easy?

Does Your Super Bowl Super-cede Your Super Sunday?

We seem to have come into a tradition at St. Andrew that Super Bowl Sunday has also become the Sunday of our Annual Meeting. Between by-law requirements for the date and the time needed between council meetings and financial reports, it just seems to fall together that way.
You might think that we would have trouble meeting our quorum to conduct business and vote on the budget and new council members, but thankfully that has not been the case.  We seem to have fun together even when it's business.  Our council leadership has committed, over the past many years, to concluding this meeting by 3:00 pm with the promise that everyone will have plenty of time to get to their Super Bowl parties. (Thankfully the Super Bowl doesn’t start until about 6:30 pm or things might be different.)

I think it speaks to the level of love and commitment of our membership that so many people are willing to stay for lunch after worship and then engage in this important annual business meeting. We love our church, we respect our leadership, and we care about the ministry we are called to do.

Even in the face of economic uncertainties and financial stresses, it was clear from our meeting yesterday that this body of Christ understands the difficulties of being in leadership right now. We understand how hard it is to make all those numbers come together for a reasonable spending plan for the upcoming year. We understand that things happened which created havoc with our previous budget and we appreciate the hard work that went into keeping the ship afloat.

It doesn't matter that the Super Bowl is a few hours away, we understand that this "business" is an important aspect of how we do our ministry here.  A few hours dedicated to God to prepare the game plan for the next year at St. Andrew trumps watching the pre-GAME hype for a football game.

Thank you God, for all the faithful stewards you have given to the ministry of your church here in Parsippany, St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

Remember who you are: We are a blessed community of faith called by God to be Christ to our community, here in Morris County NJ.

Remember what you have been given: God has gifted St. Andrew with smart and caring people who lead us with hearts for ministry, talent for leadership, and the skills of administration.

Go and do what matters: St. Andrew understands our calling to be salt for the earth and a light for all people to learn the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Does your church have trouble getting people to attend its annual meeting? To serve on Council? Or in leadership positions? How do you address these issues?

President Obama Wants ELCA Bishop on Advisory Council

President Obama has announced his intention to appoint ELCA Bishop, Rev. Mark S. Hanson, to his Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Read more here:
http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4710

or here:
http://tinyurl.com/45espcg

Teenage Joy from an Icicle

What does it take to get an ear-to-ear smile and a laugh that bubbles up from the belly of a 15 year old boy? An icicle.
So often we hear about how surly, moody or arrogant teenagers can be. How often do you see them acting with child-like glee? I did yesterday, and I thank God my son is not above letting me see him in that state of joy (or write about him here).

New Jersey, and much of the northeast, has been hit with snow (and ice and sometimes sleet) almost every third day for over a month (at least it seems like it). My son’s trips with the school ski club have been cancelled three times because of school closings due to snow. How’s that for irony? We are tired of the white stuff. There is nowhere left to put it when we shovel.

Even the kids are now grousing about another snow storm because they’ve used up all their snow days and will now be shortening their spring break. The kids are tired of shoveling, too.

My son is a great kid. He is a faithful child of God, loves to worship, loves Christian radio, and loves his extended family in the congregation of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. He understands that it is the right thing to do to help take care of our elderly neighbor.  He helps his parents cut the grass in the summer, rake the leaves in the fall, and shovel snow in the winter…on both properties. He also treks over to my grandmother’s house with me to shovel snow at her house too. Snow is not always fun for this 15 year old boy.

Yesterday, in anticipation of the upcoming snow, sleet and rain, we began working to pull the extra snow and icicles off my neighbor’s roof to reduce the chance of ice damming and water finding its way into her home. I have to say the icicles were impressive!

Of course, being the mom, I wanted to take pictures. I’m so glad I did. The first major icicle, over 4 feet in length, was so thick at the top it broke apart. He was disappointed. He wanted a whole one. He was able to pull off the next one in a single piece. This accomplishment earned me an ear-to-ear smile and a belly laugh like when he was a toddler finding pure enjoyment over something innocently funny. He ran to the window to show the icicle to his dad and our neighbor. He then carried it to the front yard to begin an icicle sculpture. There is now an icicle hand sticking up from the snow in my front yard.

In the midst of all the aggravation caused by this continual snow, God has made me see, once again, that we must seek the child-like joy in our lives, even amidst the aggravation… that pure and simple joy that comes from finding the fun in simple things …like 5 foot icicles from the roof.

And yes, he licked it.  Amen!

Where can you find joy amidst all this snow? How do you find child-like joy in your life?

Faith...tested and defended...Could you do it?

“You shall be saved, but we shall have to run aground on some island, first.”
The apostle Paul to his Roman escort centurion and soldiers.

I have recently taken to reading my Bible in a randomized fashion by letting it fall open on its own. The pages that lie open before me are where I begin reading. This has been an interesting exercise.

Today, my Bible fell open to Acts 27, the story of the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul. Interesting.

Paul has been suffering the trials of imprisonment because of the disruption of the peace his speaking has caused among the Jews. He has been preaching that Jesus of Nazareth is raised from the dead, while the Jews are adamant Jesus is dead. Because he is a Roman citizen, Paul’s case must be heard by a Roman official, ultimately requiring him to go to Caesar. It is on his trip to Rome that his ship is beset by travel difficulties, ending in shipwreck. On the trip, Paul became friendly with the Roman centurion and soldiers escorting him to Rome.

The time was winter and the travel was becoming dangerous. (How appropriate to find this story today in the midst of our icy winter weather!)

On their way, they encountered a northeaster and were pushed along and violently storm-tossed to the point the crew began to toss the cargo overboard. For several days they battled the storm, but then Paul appealed to them and told them of a vision from God, saying “there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and lo, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. Be we shall have to run on some island.”

On the fourteenth day, the sailors found shallow water. Paul encouraged them to eat; he took bread, gave thanks to God, broke it and shared it with them. The crew prepared to sail into a bay with a beach but ran aground and the ship was wrecked. The centurion whom Paul had befriended ordered all to find a way ashore, while the soldiers would have killed the prisoners to prevent their escape.

In so many ways, Paul and his travel companions are tested. Paul’s speaking about the Good News of Jesus Christ has earned him many friends, and many enemies. But it is interesting that in the face of these trials it is the Gentiles, whom are just now learning about Jesus, who befriend him. Roman rulers find his story compelling and wish to hear more. Roman centurions befriend him and ensure his safety. Faith in Jesus the Christ is coming to those who knew Him not, but who hear in the story Paul tells, the Truth of their heart’s desire.

Like Paul, our faith is frequently tested and we are often put on “trial” to prove what we believe. I pray that I might be strong enough to weather the storms of life that test my faith. I pray that I have studied the Bible and listened for the voice of the Holy Spirit within me in such ways that I can be like Paul and bring Jesus into the lives of those who do not yet know Him.  I pray that you may also be prepared for the trials life sends you.

What are you doing to weather the storms in your life that test your faith? Could you defend your faith if you had to stand before Caesar and make your case?