Remember you are dust

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season. For me, Ash Wednesday is one of the most moving services that we have because it serves as a reminder of our mortality. There is a time when we come forward, are marked with an ash cross on our foreheads, and told - Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

This Ash Wednesday is taking on special meaning for me because of the funeral I have tomorrow. One of the long time members of the church passed away over the weekend and tomorrow we are celebrating his life and mourning his loss. The day before he passed away I was able to visit with him and he filled me in on all of his funeral plans. We then proceeded to talk about Psalm 23 and how God was in the process of restoring his soul and leading him to the still waters. It was a moving moment.

All of us will have times like this in our lives. We are mortal, and there is no way we can avoid that fact. But with God walking with us, taking our faithsteps with us, we are never alone. We are blessed to know that God will lead us to the still waters and give us what we need.

So on this Ash Wednesday, I invite you to take a few moments to reflect on the blessings you have been given in life, and then think of some ways you want to grow in your spiritual life. Throughout Lent, put some of those thoughts into action and see where God is leading you.

Reaching Out

Yesterday we had a conference here that had to do with Outreach and the mindset of the church. We had some great speakers, and one of the main things I took away from it was that here we are already doing many of the things that they were talking about. But the hardest part for many to grasp is the fact that God is active in the world, and not only in the church.

For years church-goers thought that it was here, inside these walls and inside this community, was the only place where God was active and that we had to go "out there" to bring God to a broken world. But realistically speaking, creation is a gift from God, and he is already out there, in the world, doing his work. And we, who are a part of the church, need to get out with those who God is blessing and working through. In doing this we are participating with God and his activity.

In many was, this is common sense stuff. God loves to create, to bless, to empower, to build relationships with all people. And we are truly blessed to be a part of what he is doing in the world and in and through us. So may we all have our eyes opened to see that wonderful work that God is doing and may our hands be opened as well, so that we may work with God in this wonderful creation of his.

Confirmation

This year I started teaching confirmation in January. Jennifer had it all fall, teaching the Old Testament, this winter and spring I get the new testament. After a few sessions with this group I realized what a great class we have this year. They are bright, enthusiastic, and willing to talk and ask questions. They are a real breath of fresh air.

It also awakened in me the joy of learning once again. For a number of years confirmation was just teaching a few of the basics to the class. This year, they have the basics down and want to go deeper and learn more. So I had to redo my own schedule, and do a little more research as well. I realized how much I miss being able to do that - to read, study, and grow in my own educational life.

It also served as a reminder to me to never stop reading and learning. There are times when things seem to be going so fast - the work life is so busy - that I just don't make the time to read for educational purposes. So this year I have a stack of books in my office and try to read a little every day. What a joy it is to have that time and continue learning from others.

So I invite you to do the same - pick a topic you want to learn more about, check out a book or DVD, and just have some fun. What a blessing it is to be able to grow every day of our lives.

Faith and Social Media

Over the past few months I have had more and more friends get involved with social media sites, especially Facebook. During this time I have also seen a variety of ways that people are expressing their faith on these sites. Sometimes it is a post on something that they believe, sometimes it is a prayer request, and sometimes it is just a quick tweet expressing frustration or joy on something that is going on in their lives.

All of this is fascinating to me because it demonstrates the drive to find the spiritual in the world. People are searching and expressing their faith in amazing ways - sometimes healthy, sometimes not.

But in it all, there is that desire to be connected with something greater than one person alone. The desire to be connected with something spiritual in the world and in their lives. The question I have is: how can the social media sites help on this search?

I think that these sites provide a sense of community for many people and they feel safe in expressing their doubts and questions, as well as gain support for what they are going through in their lives. It does not have the stigma of a historic church where they might have been hurt in the past. It is freeing for them to be open about their search with people that they trust.

So how about you? Do you use social media sites and do you feel free to express your faith on them? I would like to hear about how your faith is impacted by these sites.

New Video Series

We are starting a new video series that will be played on our website - www.oursaviorsbeloit.org. Below is the first video - let me know what you think.

Oh the days we have

So I thought today was going to be a nice, easy day. I had a couple of meetings scheduled, time to do some work on newsletters and other paperwork, and maybe even a little bit of reading. But all that went out the window quite fast.

In the middle of one of my meetings I got a call that the mother of one of our custodians had died. So I went to the ER to meet up with him and walk with him during this time of grief and loss. When I got there he already had people with him to support and care for him, but it was a true blessing for me to be there as well.

During this time I was visibly reminded of the need for community. The need for others to walk with us during our times of sorrow and loss. The need of human contact and love. As humans, we were created to live in community, to live with others so that we can share in the experiences of others and they can share in our experiences as well.

So today, I invite you to reflect on the communities you are a part of. Reflect on those who give you strength, as well as the ones you are able to be with during their times of struggle. And also remember that central in these communities is God, the one who will always love and care for you.

What's been going on since the last post

I know that it has been a while since I last posted, so I wanted to do a little update on what has been happening. December was a great month. At church we had a wonderful Christmas at Twilight concert - where the music was spectacular - and the kid's put on a great program the following week. It is amazing to go back and see Sierra's first Christmas program and compare it with this one. She is growing up way to fast! We then had some very moving Christmas Eve services and after Christmas our family took a little break for some R and R.

January came on fast. We started the year with four funerals, which was followed by five baptisms (three adults and two children). It was very moving to observe the transition from death to new life in a very dramatic way. We also started a new study on Comparative Religions where we are hosting leaders of other denominations and religions into the church so that they can talk about their faith. This has been very positive and we are making DVD's of their talks that can be checked out from the library.

Another new ministry is our video series - Faithsteps Videos. These videos will be on the church website starting on February 1. Hopefully we will have a new video every two weeks.

All of this has been exciting and exhausting. I am constantly reminded of the gift of rest - rest for the body and rest for the spirit. There are many days when I feel pulled to go, go, go - and it is in making time to rest in God that I am given the strength needed to keep up with everything around here.

So as we continue in this new year, I invite you to continue to make time to rest in God. Rest by praying, listening to music, going for a walk and enjoying the gift of creation. Rest in some way where your spirit can be uplifted, always knowing that GOd is continually coming to you - blessing you with his love and peace every day.