Guest Post: Reflections on Pray, Play, Partner - Sabbatical 2016

By Joby Dynneson, CtK Council President and Sabbatical Team member

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord. Psalm 98:7-9a (New Living Translation)

I have been asked, ”What gain do you get from mountain biking?” The answer is often tailored to the audience at hand. My answers will alternate between the health benefits, the thrill of mastering a tricky crux on the trail, and periods of quiet and solitude. Occasionally I will utter to someone what is often closest to the real truth: it is on the trail that I talk to God, it is a day in the woods that is my Sabbath.  The author of Psalm 98 expresses the feeling that I get out on the trail. The mountains, the deserts, and other wild places are where I am most able to hear the voice of the Lord. It is on the mountain tops and hill tops where I see the expanse of his majesty. I have found the most joyful church experience on Wednesdays, during WOW , singing a song,  looking out between those two trees, seeing beyond the stuff of humanity and taking in the awesomeness that is the Bridger Range; I appreciate the power of God.

This summer, we at CtK, will have many opportunities to commune with God, outside, together.  Each Wednesday we will be continuing with WOW (Worship on Wednesday) with food, fellowship, and worship. One Sunday at the end of July, July we will have a service of worship in Hyalite Canyon, at the pavilion beside the lake. Each month during the summer, everyone will be invited to join in outdoor activities and/or service projects. We will also have an exciting project happening, the building of an outdoor Labyrinth (prayer path) on the property, for the enjoyment and spiritual growth of the entire community.

The Sabbatical team and our pastors have come up with a theme for this summer’s sabbatical period: Pray, Play and Partner.  Please join us and the rest of the congregation as we grow together in faith and take in the beauty of God’s creation.  Stay tuned: the newsletter, website, and bulletins will have more information, dates, and locations.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir

Guest post: Reflections on Prayer

Reflections on Prayer

by Sabbatical Team member, Mariann Witthar
John 15:4-5 and Psalm 46:10
Are you tired of trying harder and doing more in desperate attempts to fix what's not working in your life? Are you facing a time on your faith journey when you have lost hope and feel like giving up? Have you tried every known human strategy to solve stubborn problems you are facing? If so, I invite you to join the rest of the human race. Is it possible that you've been trying to solve a problem that has no "human solution"?

After many years of desperately striving to get my life in order, I'm finally experiencing the truth of God's solution, which I find almost always looks like the opposite of what I expect. Rather than trying harder or doing more (which fit my deeply engrained work ethic), God was inviting me to practice "being still and abiding" in him. This idea sounds wonderful but in our culture, is this even a remote possibility? Living under a neurotic sense of co-dependent responsibility, in addition to the constant distractions of the world around me, I finally had to give up "striving" to get my life in order when I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. The only option I had was to collapse in a heap and surrender my future into someone else's care.

"Burnout" is a very common (mental, emotional, and spiritual) condition in our society today. It is a diagnosable condition which indicates that something is wrong or out of balance in our lives. It is debilitating in that we, as human beings, are uncomfortable with the idea of giving up control or surrendering the outcome of our lives to someone other than ourselves. But from God's perspective, that is the best place to be. In my exhausted condition, I had no other choice but to give him permission to begin to reveal himself to me, the way he had always intended. In Sunday School, as a little child, I had memorized many Bible verses like, "He is the Vine and we are the branches", or "Be still and know that I am God", etc. Even though I could recite them easily, I had no experiential frame of reference for what God was saying to me personally. That is, until I experienced "burnout". I was finally ready for him to teach me how to "be still" and "abide" in him and how to practice remaining in his presence throughout the complex circumstances of my daily life.

LORD JESUS, continue to reveal yourself to me at deeper and deeper levels, as I practice quieting myself and remembering that you are God and I am not. THANKS BE TO GOD for this wonderful gift of rest.

So what could it look like if we allowed him to be the VINE and we practiced "abiding in him?" In my own life, I had to start by giving up the strange notion that "if I tried hard enough or just did the right thing", I could be my own "savior". What an arrogant thought! As I look back at it now, I see how absurd it was, and yet how subtle the temptation is for all of us to return to the garden and participate with Adam and Eve in the deception that separated them from the real source (the Vine) of their lives. As I confess my sin of trying to "save" myself, I'm becoming convinced that regardless of what I do, or how well I do it, good fruit will be a natural outcome. I no longer have to strive, because he is my Source, I am experiencing his life flowing through me, as the Vine continually gives life to the branches. Thank you, God, for this life-giving revelation and the "experiential knowledge" that Jesus is my Savior!

Would you like to join a group interested in becoming more intentional in learning how to practice entering into his rest, even in the midst of our hectic lives? I am willing to help individuals find useful resources and offer practical insights and suggestions which I have discovered in this exciting adventure of experiencing an organic/living relationship with Jesus where I am able to find rest. If there is interest, I am willing to offer a small group on this topic sometime this fall.

Guest Post - Lay Pastoral Associates

Lay Pastoral Associates in the Montana Synod

by Dr. John W. Sheppard

The Montana Synod of the ELCA is unusual. Spanning a large geographical region (over 147,000 square miles, not counting the parts in Wyoming) and serving only 38,000 baptized members, the synod finds challenges in bringing its ministries to rural and remote areas, often where ordained clergy are not available. To meet the varied needs for ministry in Montana, the synod formed the Lay Pastoral Associate (LPA) program to enable lay leaders in the synod to serve in leadership positions.

Becoming an LPA within the synod typically takes two years of training, with cohorts being formed at the start of these two year periods. Training consists of at-home study, guided mentorship by a pastor in the synod, and attendance at four retreats. Candidates also undergo criminal background checks when they enter the program. While not intended to be a substitute for seminary, the two-year program provides those wishing to become LPAs with a basic introduction to theological training, focusing in biblical studies (Old and New Testament), church history, Lutheran confessions, prayer and spirituality, worship, preaching, pastoral care, and Christian education. Upon completing the training, each candidate is recognized as a new LPA at the Synod Assembly and receives a “Certificate of Completion” for the LPA program. The new LPA is then listed by the synod as a resource to provide Word and Sacrament ministry where needed within the synod (with approval and license by the Bishop, and under continued supervision by an ordained pastor). Some LPAs act as “synodically authorized ministers,” where they serve in a congregation in a longer-term capacity.

My experience in the LPA training program has been unique since I entered the program having completed two years at Gettysburg Seminary. As part of this, I completed two guided field education experiences, including serving during my first year of seminary in a local parish, where I led worship, taught confirmation, and performed home and hospital visitation. I also completed a basic unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, where I served as a hospital chaplain in the intensive care unit, the ICU step-down unit, and the cardiac step-down unit. Because of my background, the self-study courses were waived; however, I participated in the four LPA retreats and have received mentoring from both Pastor Lindean and Pastor Grant.

This provides a sense of the mechanics of the LPA program. But what about the experience itself? While much of the actual training served more as a refresher of my seminary education, the most valuable part of the experience was meeting and growing with other members of my cohort. The cohort to be recognized at this coming synod assembly in Billings in June is the largest so far to go through the LPA training program. Over 20 new LPAs will be recognized. During these past two years, we have studied together, practiced together, prayed together, worshiped together, shared our life experiences with one another, and came to recognize the wide and varying talents each of us brings to ministry. We have musicians, teachers, professors, lawyers, and business people who have felt a call to deepen their faith and commitment to serving the church.
One of the most moving experiences I had while going through the LPA program was during the retreat on prayer and spirituality. This retreat was led by Pr. Dan Heskett, and a significant part of it focused on the discipline called Lectio Divina. Here, we chose a biblical passage and were guided through a process of slow, deliberate, and repeated reading and meditation on the passage. The entire process lasted about two hours, and when we finished, we each had a deeper connection to the passage. In fact, I believe any one of us could have stood up and given a sermon on the passage, right there on the spot. Another interesting experience of mine was preaching a sermon for Pr. Steve Loy, who led the preaching retreat. I say interesting because Steve and I studied preaching together under Dr. Richard Thulin while we were both students at Gettysburg Seminary. He was the best preacher in the class back then, and he is still amazing. Even so, it was a bit strange being a student of his after having been students together, 30 years ago.
Ultimately, it is good to be getting back involved in doing ministry within our church. For anyone interested in deeper theological study, a deepening of faith, and an opportunity to serve, I strongly recommend exploring becoming an LPA. I would be happy to discuss the program and my experiences with anyone interested. Let me know, and we can chat.

Guest Post - Loving Your Neighbor

Loving Your Neighborby Pastor John Lund

 

Kudos to the Darby library for going forward with the March 9 talk on Islam by UM scholar Samir Bitar. The rampant rhetoric of fear regarding Muslims immigrants is out of line with our core American value of granting life and liberty to all people. What has made us great is our willingness to give everyone a chance regardless of race, ethnicity, social class, or beliefs. Certainly, we need to denounce and fight ISIS, and we need protection from their attacks. It is reasonable to be concerned about screening immigrants from a war-torn nation. But to judge all Muslims because of ISIS is unfair. The claim that Islam is at war with Christianity or with the US and that all Muslims are out to get us is plain wrong.

For those of us who are Christian, we would do well to look first at the log in our own eye. We have to acknowledge that many Christians justified the killing of native peoples by calling them "heathens" and "savages." Later, Christians sent Native children to boarding schools so they could be "Christianized" and re-cultured. Christians also justified slavery, and many later fought against civil rights for Blacks and all people of color. European Christians perpetuated stereotypes and discrimination against Jews, which allowed the rise of Nazi hatred and the Holocaust. Many Christians fought against the right of women to vote, and some still believe that women should be subject to men and silent outside their homes. Even today, Christians fight the hardest against civil rights for people in the LGBTQ community. If the atrocities of some Christians were used to judge all of us, we'd be lucky to have any neighbors at all.

The truth is that there are an estimated 3.3 million Muslims in this country, and many have been here for decades. Most work hard as teachers, business owners, laborers, doctors, and in other professions, and are integrated into American culture and life. They wage peace through daily prayer, compassion, care for their neighbor, and devotion to the same God that Christians and Jews worship. They honor Moses and Jesus as Major Prophets and have great respect for the Bible. I have known many Muslims in my lifetime and feel fortunate to have some as friends. They are among the most genuine, gracious, giving and humorous people I know. In all of our major cities, Imams and Muslim leaders work with Christian, Jewish and other faith leaders to foster relationships, peace and unity among the world religions. Time after time, when Christians actually meet Muslims and get to know them and share a meal and conversation, relationships are formed, attitudes and perceptions are changed, and the whole community is enriched for the better. Thank God we have different languages, music, food, skin colors, traditions and beliefs! Because of that we learn and grow and become fuller human beings when we are together.

Yes, there are horrible things being done by some Muslims who manipulate Islam and the Quran to justify their own ideology of terror and control. Yes, some Muslims believe that women should obey their husbands and have fewer rights than men. Yes, some Muslims are fundamentalist and practice horrific forms of violent retribution. And this is true for some Christians as well. We see evidence of this today in KKK rallies, mass shootings and vandalism of Black churches and abortion clinics, and the high rate of domestic violence against women. The greater truth is that the huge majority of the estimated 1.7 billion Muslims and 2.4 billion Christians in the world are people who love God and neighbor, care for those in need, and seek peace in our world.

As Christians, we are called not only to love the neighbors who are similar to us, but to also love those who are different and even our enemies. Our world is already filled with fear, lies, hatred, and violence. We can do much better by waging peace, forming relationships, listening to each other, sharing life, and expecting the best from each other. That is exactly what a Galilean Jew did 2000 years ago amid times of great fear, much like today. Perhaps we can follow his lead.

      -Pastor John Lund is Campus Pastor at the University of Montana

Emmaus Campus Ministry at the University of Montana

Guest Post - 40 Days of Giving and Epiphany Star Words

ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving and Epiphany STAR Words: Discipleship

by Dawn Byrd

When I drew the star word DISCIPLESHIP out of the basket on the Sunday we celebrated the Epiphany (January 3), immediately I wanted to throw it back into the basket and draw something I was more familiar with, something easier to accomplish and fulfill! In fairness, I couldn’t really do that. It wasn’t meant to be something we are familiar with! I believe it was intended as an exercise to help each of us stretch out of our comfort zone (both here in our church life AND out in the community). So, I kept the word (it sits on my desk in the church office so that I can remember it every day!).

Discipleship n. . . . break it down to its origination – Middle English, from Old English discipul and from Old French disciple, both from Latin discipulus,  pupil, to learn – 1.) a. one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another; b. an active adherent, as of a movement or philosophy; 2.) often Disciple (with a Capital D) one of the original followers of Jesus; 3.) Disciple, a member of the Disciples of Christ.

But what does it mean to be a disciple? How does one practice discipleship? Clearly I’m not one of the original followers of Jesus, nor am I a member of the Disciples of Christ; however, I hope that I am one who embraces and helps spread the teachings of Jesus. Right? But how? I struggle with this daily.

So, a few Wednesdays ago, while doing the Lent in a Bag daily devotional from the ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving booklet, the Scripture reading for the day was John 13:35. I grabbed up my Kindle, opened up the HOLY BIBLE app (I like Eugene H. Peterson’s translation, The Message, as I find it easier to understand), and this is what I read:

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples – when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35.

That’s it! This is what it means to be a disciple of Christ! Love one another! That is so much easier to understand AND DO than any of the other definitions of disciple(ship) I had previously found . . . to follow in Christ’s footsteps. What does that mean? How do we follow in his footsteps?

Love one another is so much easier to do! Right?  Then I continued reading the day’s devotion:

“Please help us to live in your reflection, shining your love through us not only onto those who are near and dear and easy to love, but onto ALL of your precious and beloved people.”
OK, so it is not always going to be easy to love everyone, but I can certainly start by loving those around me. I can show love when I help serve meals at the Community Café, host during Family Promise, bake bread for communion, read scripture during worship, do the dishes after fellowship hour, just to name a few.

I believe I was meant to pull that word out of that basket . . .  perhaps God’s way of nudging me out of my comfort zone . . . to show love. To share food with the hungry, shelter the homeless, perhaps it is as simple as that.

Guest Post - Fasting for Hunger

This Lent, CtK joins thousands of other ELCA congregations in ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving. A daily devotional booklet, a piggy bank, and the challenge from CtK's 40 Days of Giving Team to give $0.25/day will help us learn about hunger issues, and make a difference in our world. Look for occasional guest posts from team members during this season!

Fasting for Hunger

February 29, 2016 - LEAP DAY!

by Barb Benson

Are you giving up something and fasting for Lent? …how about on February 29^th?

I sort of grimaced when Pastor Lindean asked me to write up something about fasting for our CtK blog. Given I am a registered dietitian, I would be expected to know something about fasting…and I do. Unfortunately, I did too much of it as a teenager in angst that it imprisoned me into an unhealthy binge/purge cycle.  After individual and group counseling and regular visits with a dietitian in my early college years, I am thankful that I learned to like my body and take better care of it. I also changed my major to nutrition and have not had the desire to fast or restrict my eating since then.

The word “fast” from the Unger’s Bible Dictionary means, in Hebrew, “to cover” (the mouth) and in Greek “to abstain.” Yet the purpose of “fasting” described in the Bible also has a spiritual component connected to it that goes far beyond restriction and dieting for the sake of self-sacrifice or the hope of cleansed living or temporary weight reduction.  Many of the Bible’s Greats like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Paul, and even Jesus, fasted as a way to draw closer to God, as it seems to be combined with prayer and often repentance. I’m told that fasting can help remind us of our dependence on God and his provisions- help fine-tune the senses to be more like-minded with our Creator.

We are given an extra day this year on February 29^th. The ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving is challenging us to consider fasting and instead of eating a meal or drinking a fancy coffee to spend that time with God and pass the money “saved” to someone in need. Collectively this could be a big “drop” into our piggy banks and not only make a difference in our World Hunger giving but time alone with God promises to have an even more profound impact on our living. That’s exciting!

Jeff and I have seen first-hand what “piggy bank” donations can do. Early in our marriage we returned to Jeff’s home in Tanzania and were Associates in Mission with ELCA Global Mission. Jeff worked for MSAADA that helped church-related projects design and build buildings such as hospitals, colleges, and churches. They designed a rural hospital cooking structure for families to use for providing food to sick family members. Actually- CtK's Sunday School donations helped fund that project! CtK also was a part of starting the “nutrition program” at that same hospital, to provide local and nutritious foods to malnourished children and microloans in the surrounding community. For under $1/day, “piggy bank” donations helped treat a malnourished toddler for a day in that hospital. God really does miraculous things with little offerings.

Will you join me in some sort of “fast” this leap year? Your fast will look different than mine. Could be you will fast from the technological feast we devour each day or the extra hours you spend at the office. Whatever you “give up”…may God and the amazing things he can do through us be our focus as we entrust our time, talent, and treasure back to him.

Guest Post - The Faces of Hunger

This Lent, CtK joins thousands of other ELCA congregations in ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving. A daily devotional booklet, a piggy bank, and the challenge from CtK's 40 Days of Giving Team to give $0.25/day will help us learn about hunger issues, and make a difference in our world. Look for occasional guest posts from team members during this season!

Faces of Hunger, by Jerry Johnson

The many faces of hunger are . . . emaciation, bloated bellies, stunted minds, helplessness, hopelessness, disease and death . . . a trackless wasteland . . . a vast emptiness . . .

About 34 years ago, shortly after I returned from an ALC (American Lutheran Church) hunger-justice study trip to Mexico and Nicaragua, I was sitting in a church council meeting in Whitefish, MT and one of the members said he was tired of hearing about hunger. As a new hunger advocate, I vigorously disagreed.

A few years later, in 1998, I wrote an essay where I quoted Martin Luther who said, "If you preach the gospel in all aspects with the exception of the issues which deal specifically with your time, you are not preaching the Gospel." It was at that time that the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Reno, NV, began a once a month second offering with fast food cups to support the ELCA World Hunger Appeal against world hunger.

In 1999, when Margaret and I joined Christ the King Lutheran Church, we mentioned this way of collecting funds for World Hunger and CtK began using the fast food cups, also. Christ the King's "hunger" offering went from almost nothing to several thousand dollars a year for hunger relief, locally (Food Bank) and globally (ELCA World Hunger Appeal).

On the first Sunday of every month, when the ushers pass around the fast food cups for a second offering, it does two great things: 1) it helps educate people to curb obesity, and stave off diabetes and hypertension; and 2) it helps feed hungry  brothers and sisters and teaches them how to combat hunger, thus achieving dignity and life quality.

A couple of the Montana Synod congregations have adopted this same means of collecting special offering for ELCA World Hunger, but I must admit I haven't been able to get the churchwide organization to adopt this as a good way to increase hunger giving churchwide.

There are approximately four million members in the ELCA and the 2016 budget for hunger is 24 million dollars. This amounts to $6.00 a year per member, 50 cents a month or 1 3/4 cents a day. If every ELCA member gave a dime (10 cents) a day, it would add up to $3.00 a month and $44 million dollars a year. Can you imagine what could be done to alleviate world hunger with that?

I hate to say it, but in 10 years the average ELCA Lutheran has only increased hunger giving by 3/4 of a penny a day. We pray for God to help, but God uses our hands to do it! We don't give to pat ourselves on the back, but I thank you, thank you CtK for holding up our end of the bargain and also for taking on the 40 Days of Giving journey.

Guest Post - Jesus is our Power Supply for Faithfulness and Generosity

This Lent, CtK joins thousands of other ELCA congregations in ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving. A daily devotional booklet, a piggy bank, and the challenge from CtK's 40 Days of Giving Team to give $0.25/day will help us learn about hunger issues, and make a difference in our world. Look for occasional guest posts from team members during this season!

Power Supply
February 7, 2016

My computer crashed this weekend and perhaps in a causative yet reflective way, so did I.

How do I write an inspirational “devotion” addressing ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving for CtK’s website when I am swamped  trying to book tickets and Airbnb rentals for my daughter Natalie and my long-awaited trip to meet Jeff in Italy next month?   One night spent in a European hostel could feed an African village for at least a day!  Our wealth and opportunity in the face of world-wide poverty and oppression makes my “circuits” cross and shutdown.   Sorting out thoughts, feelings, and experiences with hunger and poverty, and more importantly rebooting myself to take action in helping alleviate it, is about as looming and complex for me as trying to understand the operation of my aged computer. Can’t we just fix it?

I am thankful for the insight and guidance of others - in particular to Joel and “the computer guy” who tell me that it’s possible my computer “just” has a power-supply issue; diagnose that and it could continue to still have a use in my life - cool!  Power-supply issue…hmmm, could this help explain my own “shut-down” lately when it comes to feeling like I have little purpose, reflected in even less effort , in helping end hunger and poverty?  “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord…”  The song we sang in worship today reminded me that Jesus is our never-failing Power Supply, who can plug hearts back into seeing, feeling, and caring for all of God’s children and their wellbeing.  I can’t fix poverty or feed the whole world, but connected to Jesus I can be useful in someone’s life in some way that can makes progress in doing so.  

Once again, I am thankful for the insight and guidance of others - in particular the ELCA World Hunger 40-day devotional book and adult forum studies/discussions that will happen during Lent in our families and church.  With our Power Supply issue diagnosed (like my computer, I hope), we can wake up to the invitation of participating in life-changing work and “refresh” our efforts in ending hunger and poverty here at home and overseas.

With you together on our 40 Days of Giving journey-

Barb Benson
CtK 40 Days of Giving Team

Guest Post: "Love Ya"

"Love Ya"

Submitted by Jerry Johnson
As usual, Katie Keehr moves us when she talks stewardship and her temple talk on love did so.  I was reminded of an essay I wrote on my birthday in 1995 and shared five years ago, and I’ll share it again. It was all inspired by a Bud Light ad which was much better than the beer which hardly qualifies as beer, or so said a German brew master when interviewed on NPR radio.

“Love Ya”

“Dad.”  “Yeah?”  “Dad, I gotta tell you something.”  “What is it son?”  “Man, you’re my dad and I love you man”------”You’re not getting my Bud Light John.”  Obviously the power of Bud Light transcends that of love.  For the sake of argument we’ll assume Budweiser wrong.

“Love Ya.”  It’s an easy phrase to use lightheartedly, but often difficult to say to those closest and most dear.  This was illustrated in a hilarious, yet touching way in a “Frazier” episode.  Mr. Crane said “love ya” to a friend over the phone and to Eddie, the dog.  Frazier and Niles were miffed because neither could ever remember their father professing his love for them.  Like many of us he said, “You know I do,” but somehow that’s not enough.  Niles agreed to go ice fishing with his dad which, if you have never been ice-fishing, is a real act of love.  Frazier, feeling left out, decides to go also.  In the fish house, a little less masochistic then open ice-fishing, the three men bicker back and forth until Niles produces a flask of brandy.  Well into their cups, Frazier and then Niles confess their love for their father.  Mr. Crane hems and haws finally saying, “I love you Frazier,” and “I love you too Niles.”

Some years ago I read a short article about a tough cop who, to the chagrin of his teenage children, kissed, hugged and said “I love you” to each of them as he left home in the morning. With death a risk of the job, he never wanted there to be any regrets.

Love is expressed in many ways.  We know words are cheap and actions often shout loudest.  Still, to say “I love you” from the heart speaks to the depth of the soul.  It’s value increases with the greater difficulty in saying it.  We are never more vulnerable or open to hurt at such times, but never more ready to embrace life.  Sometimes we hold back because we are afraid, or because we want to hurt the one we love.  In a way it’s silly, but shows how sensitive we are and how important the words.  Overused love can be banal, trite, tasteless, hackneyed and corny to name a few adjectives.  Nevertheless, it is the single most powerful and gentle force in the Universe, the best synonym for God.  It is the sunshine and warm rain that makes us grow and blossom, causing our beauty to shine forth.  Love is the light that banishes the darkness of hate.  It is what Jesus showed us.  We need to make that leap of faith next time we talk with someone dear and say, “I love you.”  Our return on that simple gift will be a thousand fold--that’s a promise.

Guest Post: The Blessing of Grief Support Group

What follows is a reflection by CtK member Heidi Madson, about her need for and participation in CtK's Grief Support Group. The next 10-week group will begin meeting on Tuesday, February 16th. To sign up for the group, or for more information, please contact Pastor Grant in the CtK church office, at 587-4131.

In mid November of 2011, my Mum was rushed to hospital complaining of stomach pains. She was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, and died six weeks later on December 19, 2011.

The following April in 2012, my Mother-in-law Barb fell, and broke her femur. The next day, Barb was diagnosed with cancer that had spread throughout her body.  After a 15 week battle, Barb died on August 22, 2012.

Three weeks later, On September 25, 2012, four days before Barb's memorial service, I got a phone call from England informing me my Dad had just passed away. Craig and I attended Barb's memorial service, then flew straight to England to plan the third funeral in less than nine months for our beloved family members.

Since then, we have lost another close relative of mine in Canada, and experienced a suicide in a property of ours.  Just when we thought we could come up for air, on the 13th of May of 2013, I suffered from a hemorrhagic stroke on the right side of my brain and was airlifted to Billings.

As you can now see, over that three and a half years I experienced many aspects of death, and grief, including the feeling like I had lost part of myself to my stroke.

When I found out about a grief support group being offered by Pastor Grant, you would have thought I would jump at the opportunity. At first I didn't. I was scared. Scared of having to relive all the pain and heartache. BUT I also knew in my heart that I desperately needed help. And I needed a support group and guidance to do that.

 I was right!!!!

To say that I am glad I joined the grief support group is probably the understatement of the year. I had NO idea how desperately I needed it until I got there.

Over the next nine weeks, under the gentle and kind guidance of Pastor Grant, and with the unconditional support of others there, I was able to understand and comprehend the journey and steps of grief and grieving, a lesson that I didn't even know I needed.

Through this journey, I came to understand that I had placed some areas of my grief on hold in order to cope with the overwhelming events, including more loss of other family members. I also discovered that I was indeed grieving for the person I used to be before my stroke. Grieving for the things I could do before, things that I struggle to do now.

God made us all different. And how we grieve individually is also different. The journey of grief is a very individual and unique experience for everyone, but by going to this support group, I had the opportunity to be able to get the help and support I so desperately needed in a safe and loving place, surrounded by people who understood and were there to support me. I have also made close friends!

I now get up every morning, and although I miss my loved ones terribly, the pain is less sharp and I am better able to honour their memory by remembering the good times, and not focusing on the sad ones.

Bah, Humbug! A guest post from Jerry Johnson

Note: what follows is a guest post from CtK member, Jerry Johnson. Jerry's opinions are his own, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of CtK or the ELCA.

Bah, Humbug!

     As I grow longer in the tooth, my attitude about holidays has changed--Margaret would say for the worse.  Some of it is definitely age related.  Huge holiday meals are overwhelming and leave me miserable.  Drinking has its own problems.  Staying late at functions has lost its charm and gifting in a materialistic society is crass at best.  January should give us a new start, but it’s frequently with unneeded pounds and a feeling of exhaustion. 

      In our current atmosphere of fear “Christians” forget their role and want to isolate Muslims as we did to the Japanese in WWII.  They complain about Starbuck’s holiday cups, saying they either promote Jesus or dis him, when the intent was neither.  Earlier cups had snowmen, candy canes, etc. which are not Christian symbols.  My understanding is the plain red and green cups are so you can decorate them any way you want, or not.

     Christians whine about the “War on Christmas” not fully knowing the history or seeing the melding of the spiritual and the commercial and of course we’ve carried political correctness from reasonable to ridiculous.  The origins probably began with celebrating the lengthening of the day after the winter solstice, and Romans celebrated December 25 as the birthday of the sun god Mithra.  It wasn’t until the 4^th century A. D. it was associated with Jesus’ birth and didn’t become significant until the time of Charlemagne around 800 A. D.  Catholics made it a tradition and Protestants banned it (Puritans thought Jesus was born in September and they hated the associated holiday debauchery in late medieval England).  The Christmas tree came from Germany and was considered to be a symbol of pagan idolatry.  The Lutherans were castigated for “groveling before a shrub.”  Jeremiah 101-4 condemns cutting down a tree from the forest and decorating it with silver and gold.  George Washington even attacked the Hessians during the Battle of Trenton in 1777 on Christmas because it was a popular German holiday.  Clement Moore’s poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” in 1823 was an enormous success.  In 1836 Alabama declared Christmas a public holiday, but it wasn’t until 1870 that President Ulysses S. Grant declared it a federal holiday.

     Of course, the media likes turmoil, so they seize on anything to stir up the pot.  I find Advent a time to reflect.  I like our “Soup and Service” suppers and the fellowship.  In our Tuesday men’s Bible study we studied Stephen Patterson’s book, Beyond the Passion: Rethinking the Death and Life of Jesus.  Patterson says that without Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection are meaningless.  Ernest Campbell said the Gospel receives its force in the world from the fact that it was lived.  People confuse expressing religious values with living them.  The most recent example of this is Martin Luther King, Jr. who preached passive resistance as did Ghandi.  We put King on a pedestal and violence is still the way.  The same could be said for Jesus, revere him, but don’t follow him--that could be dangerous to our health (mortal, not immortal).

     As Advent draws to a close and Jesus’ birthday is upon us we need to think on what it’s all about.  We should recognize that all things change, even what we know about Christmas.  We should remember in Jesus’ life and love he reached out and asked us to follow him--feeding and clothing the poor, visiting the sick,  taking in the stranger and visiting prisoners.  For each other it will be plenty sufficient to share our love.

                                                          Jerrold E. Johnson, 12-21-15

Three Things You Need to Know About the 2015 Spending Plan - Guest Post by Ian Anderson

By: Ian Anderson, CtK Council President

I’m really proud of our congregation for the excitement and support put forth during the past month towards our plans for ministry and congregational care in 2015. The most tangible outcome is that we’ve proposed, debated and accepted a spending plan for 2015 that is ambitious, a 28% increase from 2014.

Even if you’ve been following along the whole time, here are three things you need to know about the spending plan.

But before we jump in, I ask you to literally pray about this. Whether it upsets you some to be asked for more money or whether you are so excited that you are ready to cut a check for $5,000 each month (and if you are, please let me know!)… please pray for yourself and your role, pray for the church and what we’re doing.

1) The Idea Behind the Increases
These increases are about two simple ideas that we feel strongly about.

IDEA #1: Christ the King is here by the will and the grace of God and we are called upon to be a bright spot and share the love of Christ we've received, with God, with each other and with the world.

I realize this is a big, sort of ambiguous, sentence. But think about some of the specifics: we come together to worship and we’re blessed with bright, smiling faces and beautiful music… we meet in small groups to develop our understanding of the profound, day-to-day meaning in the teachings of Christ… we try to be good neighbors and help out around town like through the Community Cafe or donations to the Food Bank. These are ALL very well and good!

BUT (perhaps you noticed that’s a big but), we’ve also been praying and listening and as a community, we are being led to continue our growth as Christians and, specifically, to hold each other as well as our neighbors and visitors up in the light of God.

We have specific ideas about this, including: strengthening our fabric of support and spiritual growth at CtK for ALL AGES, literally age 0-99+, through learning, education and activities… learning about ourselves and sharing our stories just in case we find ourselves positioned to do a little - wait for it - evangelizing… reaching out to the neighborhoods immediately around us as well as to an elder-care community, just to be good people!

But all of these things don’t happen on their own and we are well aware of the struggles in recent years to do our best with what we had. Now, we have the opportunity to invest a little more in doing a little more and we have discerned the call and response to do so. The spending plan increase will help further us in this cause.

IDEA #2: Our choices reflect our beliefs and core values.

It’s been a little lost in the discussion but the spending plan proposes an almost DOUBLING in our benevolence, back to the neighborhood of 10%, which accounts for over $16,000. It had been cut back towards 5% for a few years in order to make sure we could pay our staff and meet our obligations. But the intent was never to skimp on giving. Now we are back in a position to share our gifts with others. We believe in honoring God and being thankful for our gifts in this manner.

2) It’s Not About The Money, It’s All About The Money
Do a little jig if you know what I’m talking about!

First, it is important to understand that the idea of continuing and evolving our current ministries and care hinges as much on our intent and actual participation as it does on our funding.

We all believe that our works will not buy our way into heaven. Similarly, our money won’t buy us works!

Our hearts, minds and bodies are as important in this as anything.

With that in mind, the money isn’t important in and of itself. However, as we ask people to go above and beyond in helping us coordinate our activities and develop infrastructure to assist us in reaching towards our dreams, it is right to compensate them! In other words, we need our pastors’ help and we need to pay them!

3) There is a Plan
Compared to business-as-usual in the church setting, things have been moving at a breakneck speed the last few months! Wrapping our minds around all of the implications, trying to reach out to as many invested parties as possible and doing all of the groundwork necessary to present this to the congregation has been quite challenging.

But there is a plan. Right now, that plan is a neat little one page table that shows exactly what we (the congregation, the council, the co-pastors and lay leaders) need to do in each of the seasons of Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost to move our plans and ideas forward.

This plan will be discussed and finalized this Thursday by council. Here is a short version:

Congregation: Pray Now, Participate and Support as called forth!
Council: Pray, Implement, Provide Oversight and Communicate!
Co-Pastors: Pray, Develop Infrastructure, Train and Support!
Lay Leaders: Pray, Train, Facilitate and Develop Ministry!

So as long as we do all of that, we’ll be moving on up George Jefferson style!

One last word. Please understand that nobody wants you to do something that isn’t right for you, but, simultaneously, we want you to pray and want you to do what makes sense to you. What comes forth will be the will of God as guided by the Holy Spirit. This is what we believe and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The College Girl's Guide to: Bible Study - Guest Post by MSU student Molly Wright

Gathering with a few other Christians each week, or every other week, has been an important part of my life for years. Reading the Bible with others helps me know them, and helps me hear God's word in ways I might miss on my own. Having a small group of mutual support can make all the difference - joys are multiplied, and burdens are divided. It's my hope that every participant in the community of faith that is Christ the King Lutheran Church would know the fun and challenge of discipleship with a small group.

Back in January I asked Molly, a first-year student at MSU, to write an article for the monthly CtK newsletter about her Bible Study/small group experience.

            The College Girl’s Guide to: Bible Study

            To say that college is overwhelming would be an understatement.

            Before coming to MSU, I thought I had it all figured out. I had no fears about tackling schoolwork, making new friends, or getting involved with every club on campus. But boy, was I wrong. It’s pretty scary to go from a class of 300 kids to a school of 15,000 undergrads. You feel as if you have the word “freshman” stamped on your forehead, and you have no idea how to handle this unfamiliar territory.

            Feeling disconnected and lost, I turned to my mom for help. (It’s true... She really does know best.) She told me to try attending Christ the King, where Lindean, the former pastor of my home congregation at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and her husband led worship. The warmth, energy, and inviting atmosphere of the church was immediately apparent. I felt like I was home.

            Soon after, we arranged to meet Wednesday nights for a small group bible study at International Coffee, a small coffee shop right next to campus. I had reservations about going. What if I don’t know enough about the Bible? What if I say something that sounds dumb, or I disagree with someone else? I don’t even know Annie and Pastor Lindean that well... Will I be comfortable speaking up? Maybe I should just stay home and do homework. But by the end of the first meeting, those thoughts has disappeared. Over a steaming mug of tea, we talked, laughed, prayed, and explored God’s word. I was already looking forward to next week’s meeting, and ventured home feeling a bit better inside knowing that I had found somewhere I could fit in.

            Being part of a small group within the church, especially a Bible study, is so incredibly rewarding. Sharing thoughts, emotions, and ideas with others allows us to open up in ways we don’t normally do in casual conversation. And, exploring the different stories in the Bible and how they relate to our lives reminds us of God’s unfailing love for us, a comforting thought for a lonely 18 year old. I guarantee you’ll learn something new, or at least have some preconceived notion busted. It happens every time for me.

            Sometimes, we get too caught up in ourselves and our own worries, and lose sight of the bigger picture. Luckily, we have wonderful people in our lives who are there for support, love, and growth. We need to lean on them so that we can all grow stronger in our faith and our friendships with each other. In attending this Bible study, my feelings of loneliness have subsided. They’ve given way to feelings of desire to continue learning and growing in faith, and have left room to develop friendships with women who are as excited about Christ’s love as I am.

            Making time on a busy Wednesday evening is a small sacrifice to pay for the benefits we reap by simply coming together over God’s word. While I still struggle with finding my place on campus, I know I have found my place within the church.

The Still, Small Voice of Love - guest post

Tom, a member of CtK, subscribes to a daily meditation from the writings of Henri Nouwen. Sometimes he forwards them to me (though you don't need to do that any longer, I've subscribed myself!). Today's meditation is further food for thought and reflection on Sunday's sermon.

The Still, Small Voice of Love
Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."

These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey.
Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!

Guest post - A GREAT idea to spread the good news of Christmas

This post comes from the blog of the Lead Pastor of my home congregation, Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church, in Sammamish, Washington.

John says,

Good day! It isn’t my usual custom to forward mass emails, particularly the ones that come in a “you must pass this on…”, however, a request came this morning that tore at my heart. The request is simple. When you do your Christmas mailing (even if that is an “if” or by electronic means), please set aside a card of
encouragement and good cheer and send it to:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

As a person who spent more than one Christmas in the armed forces, as well as a month or so in an Army hospital, I can bear witness to either one being a lonely experience on their own. To combine the two, being hospitalized at Christmas, could be heart breaking.

Therefore, take a few extra minutes, fill out a card, mail it,and send the light of the manger to what might otherwise be a dark and lonely place. What do you write? Just a little bit about yourself, but, the most important words to write are these: thank you.

Thank you!

Grant and I are finally beginning to work on our Christmas
card list. I'll be sending at least one card to Walter Reed. Will you,
too?