What are you praying for?

Recently printed in Watertown's Public Opinion...

In times of joy and sorrow, celebration and despair prayers are said. Prayers are offered for peace between warring nations, for health and safety of loved ones and for daily bread. But there is one prayer that is to be a model for our prayers - the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, the Lord's Prayer. In this prayer, Jesus teaches us to demand for the Lord's name to be sacred, for our world to become just like it is in heaven, and that God give us our daily bread. No "please" is offered. Jesus teaches us to urgently demand, "Give us this day our daily bread." We are even taught to give God a deadline: today! It takes a lot of audacity to pray this demanding prayer, yet that is what Jesus taught us to humbly and respectfully do.

When we demand daily bread from God, we are demanding to be given what we need for this life. It is not a demand for a mansion or a luxury car, but it is a demand for what is needed to sustain our lives. We pray for bread to eat, for a safe place to sleep, and for an orderly community. Jesus teaches us to pray this to our Father in heaven, who has promised to provide our daily bread. Praying this prayer refocuses us on God who provides everything we have and everything we need.

In these uncertain times this prayer is a powerful testament to the way God cares for each one of us, but it also calls us to care for others as well. God has given us our daily bread, but some will go to bed cold and hungry tonight. Too often this happens because some of us have unjustly hoarded the daily bread and the fruits of creation. When we pray the prayer Jesus taught, we should also ask ourselves how we can help others receive their share of the daily bread God provides.

Thanks be to God who will continue to provide the daily bread even as we demand our portion!

DC Sites

Library of Congress

Union Station

Preparations were underway for a dinner honoring V.P. Biden

If you click on this pic to make it bigger so that you can read the card tucked in the napkin



U.S> Supreme Court

The U.S. Capitol

Tickets

People waiting to go through security at the Cannon House Office Building

Our line at the Hart Senate Office Building

Special thanks Senator Tim Johnson for the ticket!

Tickets and our invitation to the Inauguration

We had tickets to stand in the blue section

Inauguration Day

The Branch Ave. Metro Station at 4am



We ate breakfast at Union Station

A look at the back of the U.S. Capitol. In just a few hours the President took the oath of office on the other side

Waiting in line to go through security

Entering the Blue Gate

Finally entering the Capitol grounds at 11am

Our view

Snipers were on all buildings





Biden takes an oath

Yo-Yo Ma

President Obama

People walking down the freeway after the big event

Inauguration of President Barack Obama

The Last 4 Months

After a four month break it’s time to get posting again. In the past four months a few life changes have occurred. Aaron and I graduated in May, led a mission trip to North Carolina in June. We were ordained, moved to South Dakota and installed shortly thereafter. It’s been an amazing summer to say the least. I have been moved to tears over excitement and joy as well as fear and doubts.

I am already falling in love with the members and staff of, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, the congregation where I’ve been called to serve. I never pictured myself in a large place, yet there are over 3000 members and I have been repeatedly amazed by the relationships I’ve begun in a place this size. I never imagined I’d live in a town of 200, but I live in Toronto, South Dakota a town so small it doesn’t even have a traffic light yet I live in a house with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and over 2400 sq. feet. Size is definitely juxtaposed from what I had imagined. At this time last year I envisioned I’d be serving a small congregation and living in an apartment in a city, and I currently have a call at a large congregation and live in a large house in eastern South Dakota.

So far, my biggest joys have come during my hospital visitations. There’s something about walking into a hospital room, introducing myself and connecting with a member in a way that would otherwise take years. Something about the stress, uncertainty and boredom of hospital stays helps folks reach out and open up. At some point these past four months someone told me that it’s amazing when you walk into a hospital room and realize you’re only one of the pastors walking in…there are others from days gone by, good ones and bad ones, but all called to ministry and they’re there in the room with you. I’ve felt that amazing presence numerous times.

Some of my biggest anxieties come from being a member of pastoral team of three. I only preach about once a month and fall programming isn’t underway yet, so there’s a lot of office time without a lot of interaction with people. Also, the other two pastors have been handling things they had already planned on. My first wedding isn’t until November and my first baptism was this past Sunday. On the flip side, it is helpful and a privilege to work with the other two pastors. They are opposites in many ways, but both have been called to walk in this place at this time and both reach different members of the congregation with their styles and beliefs.

Overall, I’m doing well. It’s about the time for homesickness to be settling in and I can feel it coming on already. I can’t wait for the fall to begin. I’ll be teaching 6th grade confirmation, as well as an adult study focused on the catechism and Lutheran history plus youth groups will be up and running and we’ll begin another worship service. Life outside work is good too. It’s great to have Audra
(Aaron’s sister) and her family so close and we’ve been able to see our friends in Sioux Falls a few times. Most nights Aaron and I kick back and watch tv – we finally have cable so we’re watching way too much tv. Well, it’s time to get to another meeting, the fifth one today.

Letter from a Pastor for the September Newsletter

When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.” – Exodus 15.19-21

In the early days as intern pastor at Augustana College in Sioux Falls my supervisor asked me to pick a passage of scripture to guide me through the year. I choose the Exodus 15:19-21. These days I find myself echoing Miriam’s song of praise. Thankfully, God has brought me through four years of seminary and a move over 1000 miles to Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer where I sing and dance full of praise for God’s protection and guidance.

The account of the Israelites and Egyptians has always intrigued me. One of my earliest childhood memories involves my family gathering in the family room with bowls of popcorn to watch the annual broadcast of the Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston as Moses. Later, Disney’s Prince of Egypt peaked my interest enough to reread the story in Exodus where I discovered a good deal inconsistencies between the scriptures and the films.

This began my interest in the dynamics between popular culture’s presentation of the Bible and the scriptures themselves. The journey has been interesting to say the least. In my experience “God helps those who help themselves” seems to be the most common misquoted saying. It is actually quote from Ben Franklin, a deist, even though it is often attributed to the Bible. In fact, the Bible turns this so-called wisdom on its head. The Israelites were freed because God intervened on their behalf. They were powerless against their Egyptian captors and could not free themselves. Does this sound familiar? Have you ever admitted that you’re in bondage to sin and cannot free yourself? Again and again, God acts to free those who cannot free themselves. God frees the Israelites, and God frees you. Go, sing and dance.

Peace be yours!

Check out Exodus 1-15 and Romans 5:6-8 for more thought provoking verses.

Another Move to South Dakota

It’s official; we’re headed to South Dakota for first call! Last week we even heard about congregations we might be serving. A few days I’ve woken up asking myself, do we really have the names of congregations we’re going to interview with? Yes, is the answer I keep coming up with.

I can’t wait to be closer to the nieces! The picture in the upper left corner is Keira Grace on her two week birthday! We had the privilege to be her first babysitters after we sent her parents out to dinner. The bottom left is Ava Joyce. She’s bouncy and full of giggles.

As we prepare for yet another transition I realize that I’m making extra efforts to see family and friends in Ohio these days. This afternoon I picked up grandma from the airport and I wanted to spend all evening catching up, but she was tired from traveling and I thought I should get home to Aaron. When I checked my voice mail I saw that Mom had called. When I returned her call I learned that she was with Jack at Chad’s track meet only 20 miles from the apartment so I went to watch his last three events. I’m proud to announce he took second in the 200 meter and won the 4 by 4! Just before we parted Mom said before I go we have to do another girls night at grandmas. She also has a standing gift request, one round trip plane ticket a year for Christmas/Mother’s Day/ Birthday. As excited as I am about moving back to South Dakota it will be hard to leave Columbus.

Again I come to the hard realization that life will always be bitter sweet for Aaron and I. We are blessed with amazing families, but they will always be 1000 miles apart. We will never move to a place where our parents and siblings live. Then again, whenever we get sick of being around one side of the family we can always run to the other.

The Cabin

Before the Spring Semester began Aaorn and I ran away to Southern Ohio for a week. Here are a few pics from our week at Rustic Ridge Retreat.

When we arrived the innkeeper had baked a cake and purchased a bottle of wine for us.



More pics...I have never seen so many widows with such amazing views!

Once We Sang and Danced

Once we sang and danced with gladness;
once delight filled every breath;
now we sit among the ashes,
all our dreams destroyed by death.

All the willows bow in weeping,
all the rivers rage and moan,
as creation joins the pleading:
“God, do not leave us alone.”

God who came to dwell among us,
God, who suffered our disgrace,
from your own heart, grieved and wounded,
come the riches of your grace.

Come, O Christ, among the ashes,
come to wipe our tears away,
death destroy and sorrow banish;
now and always, come and stay.

This is the text from closing hymn at the Ash Wednesday service Aaron and I attended last night. I sobbed through the hymn as I thought about Jessica Marie Larson, Aaron’s 25 year old cousin who lost her battle with cancer at 5:05am that morning. The hymn has become my prayer.