Time to take off the floaties...

Recently, as this Texas girl has been learning to ski, I’ve had some flashbacks to some of my earliest memories, especially where my parents were trying to teach me something, such as how to ride a bike or how to swim. As my husband waits patiently for me to carefully (therefore, slowly and timidly) make my way down a run skiing, I think back to my parents and learning how to swim. I would start on one end and they would be a few feet away, slowly backing up so I would have to swim a little farther each time, but never too far that if I started to freak out they wouldn’t be right there to catch me. Skiing’s the same way now, 20 years later. Now (even as much as I want to) I don’t ski between someone’s legs or on a rope to guide me like the little kids do, I do have to experience it on my own, or else I'll never get it. Andy waits for me, skiing a little farther and farther down so I don’t stop, but keep going instead. Yet, even though he is challenging me in my fear (heading straight down a mountain going 100mph), if I were to fall or something, he would be right there to help me up.   Just knowing that helps in my confidence to even try.

Crazy enough, God is the exact same way, but even more so. He so desires us to have this incredible life and relationship with Him. Throughout our life situations and circumstances he is pushing us and breaking us to bring us closer to him. It seems so hard at times, like the end goal is impossible. We just want to quit – give up. We don’t want to go on, because really, is it even worth it? God however, is standing right there as the ultimate parent, the ultimate Savior.  We may fall, yes, but he is right there to pick us back up and tell us to keep going. He sustains us. He gives us strength. He allows us to carry on, even when the “impossible” looms in front of us.

^“11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” 

Phil. 4:11-13

May our God of salvation, strength and contentment be ever so present in your lives, so that you may rejoice in his ultimate comfort and provision. 

Worship, Connect, Serve - Student Style! Part I

Worship, Connect, Serve 


I absolutely love Peace's Mission Statement. I love that the middle school Confirmation kids I teach know what it means and the "well-experienced" generation I teach on Tuesday mornings know what it means. I mean, how much easier can you sum up what the Christian life and the Church as a whole should look like?


Seriously, it could really be like a Christian person's LIFE mission statement. So speaking of that...


"Worship, Connect, Serve" - it looks great on paper, it's easy to memorize, and as a staff we love to see our ministries fit neatly under these three ideas, but how do we actually LIVE "Worship, Connect, Serve." In my mind...it's so much more than just a "Sunday morning-thing" or a "church-thing". 


After teaching on the mission statement for three weeks to my 7th grade confirmation class, I am gaining more and more of an idea of what it means to really live this. You know...I should have just had my students write this blog as the matter of fact ;) because I know they totally get this. 


Worship - Part I: 
I'm sure to most people, including myself, the word "worship" brings to mind a Sunday morning worship service (of which ever style you prefer, at our church the options are traditional and contemporary), with other people present and the "traditional" elements of a worship service, Holy Communion, Confession & Absolution, Songs (Hymns, praise, etc.) and so on. Dictionary.com states that worship is, "reverent honor and homage paid to God" 
Worship is referred to numerous times in the Bible - actually, in some way, it's referred to 254 times in the NIV! No wonder it's in our mission statement. Check out these verses on "living" out worship:

Job 1:19-21 (New International Version)

¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
 ²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:
   “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
   and naked I will depart.^[a]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
   may the name of the LORD be praised.”

We don't just worship God when things are going well - Job's family and possessions had just been taken away from him, he STILL worshiped! 

Jeremiah 22:8-9 (New International Version)

 ⁸ “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’ ⁹ And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’”


We are warned against numerous time in the Prophets against the worship of FALSE gods. Even non-Christians worship...so we must be careful what we are Christians are worshiping in our everyday lives. 

Romans 12:1-3 (New International Version)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
 ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Isn't this awesome? Worship is a LIFESTYLE! It's not confined to the church building, Sunday mornings, midweek, etc. It's something we can do all the time, and something that God really calls  us to do all the time! 


So...worship, how do YOU live it? 


Stay tuned for Connect and Serve! Until then...


Worshiping the One,
Steph

Blogging on a blog? Millennials and Ministry

Recently, probably in the last 3-4 months or so, I've kind of turned into a blogging geek. Not that I myself have been blogging a lot, but I have really been enjoying reading blogs and seeing what other people have to say about things that I find interesting. Anyway, a friend posted a link on facebook to a blog entry titled: "Ministry from a Millennial’s Perspective: We’re Paying Attention". This immediately caught my attention, as in college, I wrote numerous papers and did a lot of research on the millennial generation, of which I myself fall somewhere in the middle, but is certainly the generation that I work with on a daily basis. 

First of all, what's a Millennial?  You can find the definition of a millennial, or "Generation Y" from the oh-so-reliable resource (I can use it now that I'm out of formal education :P) from Wikipedia here. It also gives some general characteristics of millennials that may be helpful. 

This blog I was reading said that this Millennial generation may not be the most articulate (Just look at our obsession with texting-LOL, K, THX, <3) but that Millennials are genuinely more interested in what's going on than is often attributed to them.  The connection problem between the different generations lies then because Millenials believe that the other generations do not need them, and are not convinced that these generations want youth participation, ideas, and input. 

So what do we, as the Church, do with this? 

A few thoughts I have...

• We must have faith in our young people today. Trust that they "get it." Trust that they care. Trust that they do want to take an active part but know that they probably need some encouragement and a listening ear along the way. 
• Include them in "adult"-type activities in the church. Allow them to volunteer in services, have a voice on committees, participate in men's and women's ministries within the church, and so on. The Church should not be made up of several small groups that never have contact with each other - it's a family, God's family, one of all ages and generations. Cradle to grave, right? 
• Turn to Scripture! Young people are all over the place in the Word - living lives of action, being advised by mentors, doing the work of their Lord!  Check out this Scripture to encourage you if you're in this Millennial category or if you aren't, to encourage you to participate, support, and encourage this generation: 
• Joshua 1:5-7
• Prov. 20:11
• Isaiah 40:29-31
• 1 Tim. 4:12 *
• Titus 2:2-8

Folks, the truth is, the Millennials are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers. They are definitely "Cultural Influencers". Their time as part of the "Real World" is approaching fast, or maybe...it's already happening.  What will you...in whatever generation you fall into, do with it? 

Happy Reformation Weekend!

in Him, Stephanie 

Blog References: http://resonateordie.com/2010/10/25/ministry-from-a-millennials-perspective-were-paying-attention 

1st "Youth" blog - Religion in America

Welcome to the new Peace Lutheran Church Blog! We are excited for this new avenue of communication within our church and beyond. I'll be posting thoughts/articles/discussions etc. every Thursday, so be sure to check back often and feel free to discuss and ask questions!


Although my primary area is youth, and my posts will be youth directed, anyone is welcome to read/comment/whatever on this portion of the blog. I'm all about inter-generational ministry! 


This past summer, a Religious Survey was done in our country to see what people know about Religion. The results of this study, although somewhat shocking, honestly are not that surprising.   Atheists and agnostics knew more about Christianity than "Christians" themselves. 


Check out the study here: 

http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx

"These are among the key findings of the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, a nationwide poll conducted from May 19 through June 6, 2010, among 3,412 Americans age 18 and older, on landlines and cell phones, in English and Spanish. 

Previous surveys by the Pew Research Center have shown that America is among the most religious of the world’s developed nations. Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults say that religion is “very important” in their lives, and roughly four-in-ten say they attend worship services at least once a week. But the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey shows that large numbers of Americans are uninformed about the tenets, practices, history and leading figures of major faith trraditions – including their own. Many people also think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are stricter than they really are."


There is A LOT of info to digest here, but I encourage you to browse through it and share some thoughts. 

What sticks out you?
What surprises you and what doesn't surprise you?
Do these results encourage/disappoint you? 
As Christians, what do we do with this information?




Want to take the survey "How much do you know about religion"? Do it here. http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/index.php


How did you do? 

Feel free to respond to this message with any thoughts/comments/etc. that you have! 

Have a great weekend, friends!



in Him, 
Steph