The Joy of Cutting Grass
I enjoy cutting my lawn. It’s not a huge yard—I can finish in under an hour with a push mower. I like seeing my progress. I like how the messy, uneven grass becomes sharp, neat, and clean when I’m finished. I love the straight lines and that satisfying light green/dark green pattern. Maybe you can sense I used to work on a golf course?
Sometimes I wish my spiritual life were more like cutting grass. When I mow, I clearly see where I’ve been and what I’ve done. But in my faith life, it’s not always so obvious.
± Am I growing in prayer, or just repeating old patterns?
± Am I overcoming habitual sins, or still stuck in the same struggles I’ve faced for years?
± Are my acts of love more consistent and Christ-like than they were a few years ago, or is everything just as messy as before?
When I cut the grass, there’s a clear beginning and end. I see progress. And when I’m done, I can relax with a cold drink (water!) and feel satisfied with a job well done.
But our spiritual lives don’t work that way. We’re never truly “done.” Things aren’t always neat and tidy—and that’s okay. In fact, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
God calls us to lifelong growth in faith, always drawing
SUMMER EVENTS
Spring high school sports continue into June! Look to capitolnorthconference.org for the most up-to-date schedules (baseball, golf, soccer, softball, track & field)
Jun 2 Summer office hours begin M–Th 9 am–1 pm, closed Fri
Jun 3, 5, 17, 19, 24, 25 Band rehearsals | 6:30–9 pm
Jun 9–July 31 .................. Gr. 9–12 Strength & Conditioning, M/W/R
Jun 10–13 .................................................... Warrior Overnight Band Camp
Jun 13, 14, 15 Brillion, Appleton, Mukwonago parades
Jun 16 Board of Regents | 6:30 pm
Jun 16–19 Elementary Camps: Girls Basketball, Wrestling
Jun 22 Eagle parade | noon
Jun 23–26 Elementary Boys Basketball Camp
Jun 28, 29 Lake Mills, Hartland parades
Jun 23–July 4 ................................................................... School office closed
June 30 .................... Warrior Band leaves for 14-day East Coast trip
closer to Christ. There’s always room to grow—whether in prayer, in reading His Word, or in serving others. We are never finished until we’re home with the Lord in heaven.
A Bible verse that speaks to this is Philippians 1:9: “And I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
In other words, we all still have “grass to cut” in our spiritual lives. Our love can keep increasing. Our knowledge of Jesus and His promises can grow deeper. And that growth comes through staying in God’s Word—reading Scripture, hearing the message of forgiveness, and learning to lean more and more on God’s promises day by day.
So may God bless you as you cut the grass this summer— and may He bless you even more as you continue to cultivate your faith in Jesus. Because no matter the season, we’re never done growing. ❧DS
Reach Pastor Schultz at dschultz@llhs.org
Lakeside Lutheran Call News
At the call service for Martin Luther College on May 17, a graduate was assigned to Lakeside. Nathan MIller, Muskego, Wis., will join us to teach English and Social Studies classes.
On May 19, the Regents, on behalf of the General Board, called Markus Rupnow, a 2025 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., to teach Social Studies and PhyEd classes and coach with us this fall. Keep up with the current status at llhs.org/apps/pages/callnews
Lakeside Good News y Notes
A Night in Venice
Prom night May 3 featured a Grand March led by a senior court (couples, L-R): Morgan Muchka (St. Gabriel’s, Waterloo) and Ben Krauklis (St. Paul, Lake Mills); Carlee Uttech (St. Luke, Watertown) and Alex Baehr (Peace, Sun Prairie); Queen Alyvia Koltanowski (St. Luke, Watertown) and King Easton Wolfram (Eastside, Madison); Ella Schuetz (St. Paul, Lake Mills) and Tyler Dahlie (Our Redeemer, Madison); Avery Buchta (St. Paul, Ixonia) and Kaycee Guzman (Holy Cross, Madison); Ashley Rosenau (St. Matthew, Oconomowoc) and Issiah Sampson (Abiding Shepherd, Cottage Grove).
Our annual Academic Awards night honored scholarship recipients and student academic achievements. National Honor Society inductees, Badger State reps and the Top Ten from the class of 2025 were also recognized. Read about several scholarships and other good news at llhswarriorstories.wordpress.com >
Servant leaders say goodbye
This school year brings several goodbyes from faculty, including Pastor Mark Toepel, 43 years—the past decade teaching World Languages (he officially retired end of the 23/24 year, but agreed to return this year to fill a teaching vacancy); Mr. Dan Kuehl, with us for 29 years in the English dept; Mrs. Lori Tetzlaff, 25 years in Art; Mr. Matthew Doering, 23 years in social studies; Mr. Cameron Ausen, 10 years, mostly in social studies. We pray God’s blessings on their futures, whether to retirement, college calls or new endeavors. See more on our blog (QR at left).
Badger
State programs are self-described as “educat[ing] young leaders on how to become more impactful community members of Wisconsin.” Lakeside Lutheran is pleased to share that our 2025 reps selected for the 82nd boys convention at UWEau Claire June 8-14 are (left) Brady Wolfram [St. Paul, Fort] and Malachi Fredenberg [Abiding Shepherd, Cottage Grove] at right. Girls selected for the 80th session of Badger Girls State at UW-Oshkosh June 15-20 are (middle left) Caylah Boldt [St. Joseph, Fort] and Grace Zhou [Eastside, Madison].
Calling all Forever Warrior Veterans
Lakeside plans to install a permanent Forever Warrior Wall of Honor as a tribute to our alum veterans. Our goal is to install later this summer 2025, so we encourage our alum vets to share some info that we would include on the display (family or friends are welcome to submit on a veteran’s behalf if deceased or needing assistance online).
Visit llhs.org/apps/form/FWwallofhonor where an online form gathers information for the individual plaques for honorees (info is never shared). Jess in our Mission Advancement office is also happy to take info by phone at 920-648-2321 x 2230.