• I know I write about this often, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the volunteers in our Education Hour. They fulfill a weekly commitment to helping others take in God’s Word. I love them for it!
• Children’s Message: honestly, very hard for me to give “red dots” (say bad things about) to kids, even as an example. In the 8:45 service, Luke made a very sad face when I gave him a red sticker and said, “I don’t go for this chewing gum in church thing, Luke.” Words are powerful. So powerful. Much more comfortable to give Luke a blessing at Communion: “Jesus loves you, Luke. He always has and He always will.”
• Our Education Hour Child Care volunteer was unable to come at the last minute. Her husband Jim Klapp and Jaime Christ stepped right up. So thankful for them.
• I got the chance to sub for Susan Whited in the “Foundations” Bible class today. I really enjoyed the conversation and discussion around why it really does matter whether we believe in six 24 hour days of creation. Rick Lyons shared how he is using this stuff in his classroom at St. John Lutheran School.
• I was so excited to be part of Lauren Hammond’s commissioning for her medical mission trip to Cameroon in a couple weeks. It’s exciting to see how people from First Trinity are being used by God to make a difference. Lauren’s sister Kayla Gurney made a special request to be her prayer partner. Love it!
• It touched my heart to see Moose Moosmann in church so soon after the death of his beloved June. It touched my heart even more to see the people waiting in line to hug him and give him support. Zanmi, too.
• I sat behind the Christ family in worship. At the time of the Lord’s Prayer, their little girl  (3 years old) folded her hands on the pew in front of her, put her head down on her hands and began to join in. Her daddy, Jason got right down there and prayed with her. LOVE LOVE. I know it’s a sacrifice to be in church with your kids because you don’t get much time to focus on what’s being said, but I truly believe that you are building a worshiping child when you do that.
• Wow—Pastor Chuck’s sermon was just awesome. It really helped me to have him walk through the rejection that Jesus had faced.
• So glad I remembered to move the TV/DVD player down into the basement for the New Life Group that met last night. Thanks to Marsha Peth and Jason Christ for helping out.

Came across this post about what lack of sleep does to your spirit. One paragraph that really stood out:

The psalmist writes: “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper” (121:4-5a). The writer envisions the Holy One as the ever-vigilant source of the people’s care, making clear that the role of “keeper of your life” does not fall squarely on human shoulders. Unceasing vigilance is the Creator’s domain; our striving to “neither slumber nor sleep” is to grasp for a station that is not ours. Our need for sleep means we aren’t little godlike keepers of every aspect of our lives.

What helps me “lay it down” before I lay down at night is some spiritual disciplines:

• With the Lord and my journal, I review the day. I confess my sins where I come upon them and give thanks to God for the good stuff. This is not a lengthy process for me. I am not a big-time night-time prayer. My longer prayers are in the morning.
• Read one verse of Scripture.

What are your night-time routines?

Tim Challies wrote a great post recently about asking the right questions when we talk about how things are going at church. He points out that although we all know that numbers are not the whole story when we look at how we’re doing, we still default to that question. How many people were at the Haiti Sharing Event? How many people were at the Short Course or at worship this weekend or at Crossroads Connect? It’s the easiest question to ask, really, but it’s not the whole story—not even close. It takes more reflection, but we’re starting to ask more questions like this:

• What does it look like when people are taking their next step in their relationship with Jesus?
• How did the Haiti Sharing Event connect people with God and His work in Haiti?
• Where do we see evidence that God is working through Crossroads Connect (or Cornerstone or Kingdom Quest or Adult Growth Classes or Life Groups or….) to take hold of people’s everyday lives?
• What might we need to stop doing because it isn’t helping people grow in their faith?

These questions are harder than the ones about numbers. But they are better.

Came across this great quote about Jesus by Philip Schaff .  Jesus is  more than you think He is.

Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mahomet, and Napoleon; without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and schools combined; without the eloquence of schools, He spoke words of life such as never were spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of any orator or poet; without writing a single line, He has set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and sweet songs of praise, than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times. Born in a manger, and crucified as a malefactor, He now controls the destinies of the civilized world, and rules a spiritual empire which embraces one-third of the inhabitants of the globe. There never was in this world a life so unpretending, modest, and lowly in its outward form and condition, and yet producing such extraordinary effects upon all ages, nations, and classes of men. The annals of history produce no other example of such complete and astonishing success in spite of the absence of those material, social, literary, and artistic powers and influences which are indispensable to success for a mere man.

“And He is before all things. And In Him all things hold together.” –Colossians 1:17

Jesus is more than you think.

I read this great post this morning about CS Lewis.  The author writes of many ways that Lewis helped him grow in his faith. Here’s one piece of it:

C.S. Lewis is who gave me—and countless others—permission to think about my faith. To ask questions. To wonder what all the beauty, truth and goodness in the world had to do with God and with me. Lewis wrote stimulating apologetics, poetry, chronicles about magical creatures, letters to dear friends, an autobiography and so much more—all to challenge and build up faith.

I share a deep gratitude for Mr. Lewis, but for me it started in 8th grade, not in college. Somehow I happened on to “The Chronicles of Narnia”. I’m not really a  big fan of the Fantasy genre, and I don’t know what drew me to them, nor can I remember how I laid my hands on them. I had no idea that the stories were Christian allegories (is that the right word? where is Karen Ruch when I need her?).  

I was drawn in, immediately. First of all, the oldest two siblings in the story are named Peter and Susan. I have a brother Peter. And although the younger brother was not “Eric” (my youngest brother’s name), his name was “Edmund”, which at least started with “E” (we didn’t have the little sister, Lucy, however). Some of the dynamics between the siblings were similar to dynamics between my brother’s and I. The time period (during WWII), drew me in, too, as I’ve always had a fascination with stories that took place during that time. I think it was these things that drew me in in such a way that I was completely taken by surprise when this sweet little book became a pivotal spiritual experience for me.

I still remember it dawning on me that Aslan-the-Lion was Jesus. I had already fallen in love with him—his gentle might, his justice, his caring—and then “Oh, that’s my Jesus.”. It was the most wonderful wonderful recognition…like hearing the sound of a waterfall from a long ways off and coming around the corner to view its magnificence for myself.  I could not get enough of Aslan (much as I can not get enough of Jesus) and raced through the rest of the Chronicles. I have read them several times, since. Thanks, Mr. Lewis.

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (The Weight of Glory, 26)

My prayers tonight will include confession of my weakness in asking for too little from our Great God. Amen.

This is a sweet little video from the Livesays (missionary family in Haiti—one of my all time favorite blogs is theirs). Makes me wonder if the Wise Men had doubts while they were looking for the Christ Child. Sometimes I feel like these sweet little “wise men”…searching, distracted and befuddled. Thanking God on this Epiphany that God comes to me even in my wandering. Happy Epiphany!

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. –Isaiah 60:1