Lord of Life Compass July / August 2023

LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH

763.420.5015

7401 County Road 101, Maple Grove, MN 55311-4313

Visit lordoflife.org/staff for a full staff listing with photos. Prayer requests may be submitted to prayernetwork@lordoflife.org.

office@lordoflife.org

Compass is a bimonthly ministry from Lord of Life Lutheran Church (ELCA). Paper is the most sustainable natural resource. After reading, please recycle or share with a friend or neighbor, inviting them to Lord of Life’s community of faith. You don’t need to be a member to receive Compass. To receive it in the mail and/or electronically, call 763.420.5015 or email bevm@lordoflife.org. Credits: Dreamstime and Lightstock.

2023

WELCOME

Hello, Summer!

‘Tis the season of ice cream, road trips, and being outdoors. With any luck, you may also find some rest and relaxation in this season of endless possibilities. At Lord of Life, we are well into summer programming filling the days of countless youth and encouraging them to find God in their everyday lives through service, song, prayer, and so much more! We hope that you, too, get to experience vibrant moments of faith in these sunny days.

In this Compass, Pastor Karen Wight Hoogheem invites us to consider intentional contemplative practices as we reset and refresh during the summer months. You’ll learn more about Jesus’ own prayer practices and when he took time to pray. Pastor Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren and David Frank offer summertime book reviews. You’ll hear more about the summer project building another tiny house for Settled’s Sacred Settlements.

You are also invited to a fun summer outdoor worship service July 23 at 10am! All our Sunday morning services will be combined into one worship service in Lord of Life’s backyard! Bring your chairs and neighbors for a great morning in God’s creation, complete with some tasty treats afterwards. (More details on Page 16.)

Blessings as the long summer days lead into cool summer nights!

SIGNS OF GOD’S PRESENCE

by Pastor Karen Wight Hoogheem

During college, I liked to study alone in the library. A cubicle near a window offered a quiet place to read, write papers, and think. A collection of bushes and trees grew just outside the window. Many days, a small bird sat on a branch and stayed for a while. We spent a lot of time gazing at each other through the glass. This bird felt like the reassuring presence of God as I reflected on my experience as a college student and pondered the next steps into adulthood.

Later in life, when my schedule and responsibilities became more demanding, quiet prayer left me agitated and bored. I had way too much energy to be inside and alone with my thoughts, so I left the silence of my home and headed outside to run.

On neighborhood streets and in nearby parks, I encountered a community I never expected to find. I felt joyfully alive as I noticed trees that seemed to dance in the breeze. As rain drops fell and the wind slammed them against my skin, I felt the frustration and angst of grief. Ducks, otters, turtles, and leaping carp reassured me of life beyond my own experience. Like the bird on the branch outside the college library, nature once again helped me feel connected to a wider community that was brimming with God’s presence and the goodness of life.

In the book Earth: Our Original Monastery, Christine Valters Paintner writes, “This kind of intimacy with nature means that when our hearts feel heavy or conflicted, we might find ourselves walking a trail in the woods, along a river, or in a nearby park to experience a sense of kinship with creation. In these moments, the natural world often meets us as a guide and offers insight or

PRESENCE

peace to us.” Indeed, creation became my guide as I spent time with God gazing at a bird through the window and on long runs through the neighborhood.

A few summers ago, I hung a couple hammocks in the front yard. The hammock has become a wonderful place to chat with my family, cuddle with the dog, and nap. Being outside continues to nurture my spirit. Making time for rest gives me an opportunity simply to be with God. I listen and watch for the birds, feel the breeze, and experience a deep sense of gratitude for God and the gift of life. All of it feels like prayer.

Our Christian faith proclaims the living presence of Christ in our lives and in the world. In John 15, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.” Christ loves you with the same holy love that transformed death on a cross to resurrected life. May this summer be a time for you to make your home in the love of Christ. Whether in the quiet of the indoors or outside in bustling nature, may the love of Christ heal your spirit and fill you with the hope of new life.

• What helps you abide in Christ’s love?

• What enlivens your spirit or consoles your soul at this stage of life?

• Where do you see signs of God’s presence in your daily life and neighborhood?

JESUS PRAYED

by Executive Pastor Kaitlyn Forster

At Lord of Life’s Karing Kingdom Preschool, the students begin each prayer time with “My hands I fold, my head I bow, it’s time to talk to Jesus now…” As they speak, their little hands fold together, their heads bow down reverently, and they are ready for what comes next. While it only highlights one way to pray, these young humans are learning about being in relationship with God and feeling it in their bodies and through their movements.

One particularly astute four-year-old last year asked me, “Why do we pray?”

It’s a great question and two answers came to mind. The first is that we pray because it’s how we talk to God—as their poem suggests. It’s our way of being in relationship with God, the three-in-one. We also pray because Jesus did, too. Jesus, as

fully God and fully human, prayed often and in every circumstance.

From the onset of his ministry, Jesus wove prayer into everything he did and who he was. The gospel of Luke shares that at his baptism as he was praying, the heavens opened up and God called him beloved. When he was sent out into the desert for 40 days and nights, he spent much of that time fasting and praying. It helped provide the sustenance he needed for those long days.

After that, Jesus often retreated to places of solitude and mountaintop vistas to be in conversation with God—sometimes praying alone and sometimes with others. In Matthew chapters 5-7, he retreated to the mountains and the people followed him, asking more from him. It was there that he delivered one of his most famous teachings, The Sermon on the

“ ...Jesus often retreated

Mount. At the heart of that sermon was the Lord’s Prayer as a model of prayer to cling to when other words fall short.

Even in Jesus’ last moments on earth and knowing all that was to come, he wove prayer into every moment. Praying with the disciples at the last supper and in the garden of Gethsemane, shortly before the crucifixion, he asked for God’s will to be done even if it cost him everything. Jesus modeled a life of prayer that wasn’t about specific postures in specific spaces, it was about an abiding relationship with God. He knew that being fully human meant that he couldn’t do everything by himself. He needed God’s help, and he loved too deeply not to pray.

So, why do we pray? Theologian Barbara Brown Taylor, in her book, An Altar in the World, talks about prayer as a way

to sharpen one’s intentions rather than winning God’s attention. It’s about waking up to the presence of God in our lives. Jesus modeled this posture of prayer, of inviting God into every moment rather than setting aside moments for God. We, too, can learn from him, and pray as he prayed. We can feel the all-encompassing love and remember that God is never far away.

I invite you to ponder:

What does your prayer life look like? Feel like?

How do you invite God into your day-to-day life?

What is something that you have learned from Jesus about prayer?

to places of solitude and mountaintop vistas to be in conversation with

Traveling Jesus

“Take me with you on your vacation— To the beach, the park, or even the gas station! Snap a pic and include me, too— Remember, I am always with you!”

For kids of all ages! Instructions:

1. Color Traveling Jesus with markers or crayons or colored pencils—whatever works for you—then cut it out with a safety scissors.

2. Take Traveling Jesus with you wherever you go!

3. Tag a photo of you with Traveling Jesus on Lord of Life’s Instagram / Facebook social media accounts or email the pic to brians@lordoflife.org.

4. Check social media for your photo—it may even be used during our worship services!

5. Visit Fellowship Hall bulletin boards for stickers and maps of where Traveling Jesus has gone during Lord of Life’s “Summer Road Trip!”

Passing of the Peace

1. You are invited to take a video from wherever you are this summer while sharing the “Passing of the Peace.”

2. View a recent Lord of Life Facebook or Instagram Reel to see an example of a video.

3. Email danac@lordoflife.org for directions on recording and sending the video.

4. You may be featured on the large sanctuary screen during worship services!

BAPTISMS

At Lord of Life, we baptize individuals at any age. To schedule a baptism, call the church office (763.420.5015) or visit lordoflife.org/baptism. The next baptism classes are July 10 or August 2 at 5pm via Zoom.

April 2, 2023

Alexander Jay Matz

Parker Connolly Peterson

April 8, 2023

Haven Kay Stanley

April 9, 2023

Easton David Geatz

April 16, 2023

Emerson Louise Botts

April 22, 2023

Kinsley Jessica Burgett

April 23, 2023

Ellis Joshua Nelson

Blair Louise Peterson

Marlow Bre Van De Bogart

April 29, 2023

Isabel Linn Walter

April 30, 2023

Brianne Marie Aaseby

Julian Paul Aaseby

May 6, 2023

Sofia Kay Aune

May 7, 2023

Collins Joann Perreault

Remi Jean Popowitz

Emery Margaret Wegner

May 14, 2023

Audrey Rose Kielhorn

Ethan Bernard Kielhorn

May 20, 2023

Sydney Joe Anderson

May 21, 2023

Mackenzie Faith Folkens

Brooks Thomas Hanson

Milo Kaska Mattson

Liv Cleo Thell

May 28, 2023

Archer Alan Gwost

BEREAVEMENTS

Prayers of sympathy for those grieving the loss of a loved one; may they be comforted in the promise of the resurrection.

Pat Berger and family at the death of her husband, Chuck Berger

Pat Blanchar and family at the death of her brother, Gerald Meuleners

LisaMarie Doerrmann and family at the death of her mother, Elizabeth Pater

Jeri Espeseth and family at the death of her mother, Janet Lundin

Aaron Gregerson and family at the death of his mother

Dianne Hage and family at the death of her husband, Mel Hage

Jill Hernandez and family at the death of her father, Robert Brooks

Kirsten Kjome and family at the death of her sister, Susan Martinsen

Linda Perdaems and family at the death of her mother

Nancy Phillips and family at the death of her husband, Jim “Jimmy” Phillips

Cynthia Pivec and family at the death of her mother

Harlan Schmidt and family at the death of his brother, Clyde Schmidt

Lori Schwartz and family at the death of her mother, Janet Lundin

Sue Taylor and family at the death of her brother, Gerald Meuleners

Dale Weick and family at the death of his wife, Barbara Weick

WEDDINGS

Lord of Life would be delighted to assist you in preparation for one of the most important days of your life! To schedule a wedding, contact Michelle Tomlinson (michellet@lordoflife.org or 763.420.5015 x118). All couples who desire to be married at Lord of Life must attend a two-day seminar. More details are at lordoflife.org/weddings.

May 25, 2023

Kristina Swenson & Stephen Dennison

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Charles & Joanne Bonnes

Derek & Sarah Eilderts with Kaitlyn and Heidi

Mark & Amber Hedlund with Keegan, Crosby, Pacey, and Killian

David & Sue Hirschey

Garrett & Kayla Monson with Connor, Owen, and Ethan

Jason & Amanda Peterson with Carter Lease, Olivia Lease, and Rylee Peterson

James & Lizabeth Randall

Brian Quamme & Julie Norman

Bethany & Annika Winter

Membership at Lord of Life means you make a commitment to be an active participant in congregational life. The expectation—of not only new members, but all members—is to worship regularly, grow in faith, serve others, and support the church and its programs financially. Contact Diane Steffen (dianes@lordoflife.org or 763.420.5015) or visit lordoflife.org/membership for more information. You are invited to be part of the Lord of Life faith community.

If you are a reader, spotting a hammock and grabbing a great book may be just your cup of (iced) tea for summer relaxation. Here’s another treat: two books on faith by the same author, Garry Wills, reviewed by our own David Frank and Peter GeisendorferLindgren. Happy reading!

WHAT JESUS MEANT

Book review by Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren

The book, What Jesus Meant, by Garry Wills is a thoughtprovoking and insightful exploration of the teachings and significance of Jesus Christ. Wills, a renowned author and historian, skillfully examines the core messages of Jesus and their relevance for people living in the 21st century.

Judaism by spending time with prostitutes, tax collectors, Roman collaborators, Samaritans, and people suffering from disease. All of these were considered unclean and thus to be avoided, but Jesus believes in a radical inclusion of all people. Most notably, Jesus included women in his entourage, an extreme departure from the mores of the time.

PS: These two books, What Jesus Meant and What Paul Meant, are also available as audiobooks if you prefer to listen to them!

The views expressed in these resources are those of the author and may not reflect the views of Lord of Life. We encourage you to seek out a variety of voices as you learn and grow in your faith!

WWJD—What Would Jesus Do is a common phrase in our culture, but Wills believes it’s the wrong question. As a twelve-year-old, Jesus slips away from his parents and lets them leave town without telling them he’s staying behind. That’s NOT behavior we want our twelve-year-olds to imitate. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is openly critical of almost everyone in the religious establishment. (Don’t get any ideas!)

Mr. Will’s premise is that it’s more important to understand what Jesus meant than what Jesus would do.

The author lays out some key elements of Jesus’ meaning. He discovers a Jesus who radically challenges both the Roman and religious authorities. Jesus eschews the rules of orthodox

According to Wills, Jesus was not interested in political power, but instead, he wanted to bring into reality the reign of God, which was filled with compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Some of what Wills writes is controversial. He contends that Jesus did not seem interested in starting a church as we know it today. And his death on the cross was not meant as an appeasement for our sins but a way to show us that “no matter what horrors we face or hells we descend to, he is coming with us.”

In the end, Wills concludes there is one word that encapsulates what Jesus meant AND what we should do: love.

WHAT PAUL MEANT

Book review by David Frank

Like many people, I was deeply suspicious of Paul and his New Testament letters. How well did he actually know the teachings of Jesus? Was he the actual founder of the Christian Church? Did his writings help create antisemitism and the disempowerment of women?

Garry Wills’ slender, best-selling book, What Paul Meant, has allayed my fears and led to new insight. The introduction, called “The Bad News Man” mirrors my own concerns using the words of famous people throughout the years. Thomas Jefferson, for example, called Paul the “first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus.”

Mr. Wills begins by using Paul’s own words describing his conversion in Galatians chapter one, instead of the more familiar version told in Acts written some fifty years later. Paul says he saw Jesus (Greek ophthe) conversed with him, then went “at once” to Arabia (the desert). There he must have pondered his experience in prayer, thought, and planning. Like Jesus, his mission began with intense solitude with God. Of all who had seen the risen Jesus, his is the only account we have

in the first person perspective. His are the earliest writings in the New Testament and in that way closest to Jesus. His are the only writings we have from a Pharisee.

The author demonstrates a long list of Paul’s teachings that directly reflect Jesus’ teaching. He describes the meaning of Paul’s heroic travels, his relationship with “the Brethren” in Jerusalem (initially rocky), and his co-worker women who could be emissaries (apostolos), deacons, prophets, hosts, leaders. His letters to troubled gatherings of early Christians show him to be “all things to all people.” Examples are encouraging some, correcting others, consoling, reconciling, or empowering (depending on circumstances).

In summary, Garry Wills concludes that “Paul meant what Jesus meant, that love is the only law.” I thank him for opening this window of growth into discipleship.

SETTLED

by Elizabeth Pedersen

It was the spring of 2020 when I first met Gabrielle Clowdus, founder of Settled. I reached out to her during all the COVID pivoting while searching for high school mission trip alternatives. I thought, “How cool would it be to build a tiny home in Lord of Life’s parking lot?!”

We met on Zoom, along with a couple of other Lord of Life staff. It didn’t take long to catch Gabrielle’s passion and vision for this ministry as she shared about our call as the Church to come alongside God’s people—including and especially those experiencing homelessness. She taught us about the importance of how a stable home and community contributes to a person’s overall health and ability to navigate adversity—and what happens if a person has no stable community to lean on and finds themselves, for one reason or another, without a place to live. Add to that an addiction or unresolved trauma or a disability and how likely is that person to have the resources or support to find their way to stability and health? In most cases, simply giving this person a roof over their head isn’t going to cut it. This is where Settled’s full community approach to addressing homelessness comes in.

The full community model rests on the philosophical assumption that the single greatest cause of homelessness is the profound, catastrophic loss of family. For one to come out of long-term homelessness, a full community model presumes that one must be invited into a community where there is restoration of the human heart. And, to experience homefullness (the sense of being settled and belonging) is to experience being fully and wholly known and loved, inherent needs of every human being. For Gabrielle and Settled, this approach to addressing homelessness is manifested in Sacred Settlements.

Sacred Settlements are an innovative, research-based way to address long-term homelessness by developing holistic tiny home communities in cooperation with faith communities. Each resident has their own rooming unit (i.e. tiny home) placed around common facilities on under-utilized land of religious institutions. The land is managed by a religious or social organization to maintain standards for safety and welfare.

These settlements are designed to foster community through regular interactions with others and working with the broader community to live a lifestyle of service. Specially-trained intentional neighbors live in the settlement and work with all the members to ensure that the settlement is healthy and thriving. A team of advocate-befrienders wrap around inhabitants coming off the streets to build trusted relationships, walk alongside them as they journey to meet their life goals, and connect them with valuable support services.

It is not hard to say “yes” to this vision of caring for our neighbors in partnership with Settled. Since first learning about it, Lord of Life has said nothing but. In 2021, we built a tiny home in our parking lot—and this summer, we will build another one! We don’t know what the future of the second tiny home will be, but just as the first house we built became a home for Valerie Roy at Prince of Peace in Roseville, we have faith that God will use the second house to bring someone home.

Stay tuned for work schedule sign-ups (lordoflife.org/tinyhouse) to help build the second tiny home!

To learn more: https://settled.org

https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/17839

In the winter of 2022, Roseville police approached Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and asked if Valerie Roy could park her van in which she was living in their parking lot. They said yes. As time went on, it became clear that staying in her van on cold winter nights was not sustainable. Out of that, a partnership with Settled emerged and an interim Sacred Settlement was established.

Valerie chose the tiny home Lord of Life built to call her home, and she moved in in January 2023. Shown at right is a message from Ms. Roy to everyone at Lord of Life!

How do I say thank you for a gift so significant as to give me my safety, my dignity and my security back all at once in under a hundred words? Even if I wrote ‘thank you’ 100 times— it’s still not enough. I’m way better for this experience, I’m more active and have new community around me. A few months is never going to fix a lifetime of damage, but you need to know how grateful that I have been given a fair chance at living again. I couldn’t fix my problems myself, LORD KNOWS I TRIED, but it has taken all of you and now you know how big of a difference this makes. Many thanks and much gratitude.

—Valerie M. Roy

Answer the Call to Worship —Outdoors!

On Sunday, July 23, 10 am, there will be one worship service and it will be held in Lord of Life’s lush and green backyard! Pastor Kaitlyn Forster will be preaching. Music will be led by David Frank and Brian Schroeder. Bring your own chairs and/or blankets for seating. Worship will be accessible for wheelchairs and walkers. After worship, there will also be picnic food: hot dogs, chips, fruit, and cookies. In case of rain, we’ll move inside to the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.

These photos are from the most recent outdoor worship services in 2021. On July 23, no face masks will be required— let’s all give a “hallelujah!”

GOD’S STORY, YOUR STORY, MY STORY

by Lynn Leisen, Faith in the Home and Milestone Ministries

It seems like a good time to reflect on what I am grateful for. You see, I will be retiring in the middle of August, and I have a lot of wonderful memories on my mind.

One of the greatest joys in the nearly 31 years of employment at Lord of Life has been telling God’s story. I have shared God’s story with children in church school and Vacation Bible School, with families during Seder meals at communion instruction and Bible learning events, and with the congregation through written devotions and classes. This is work that I am so grateful to have been called by God to do. Most of the time, it has barely felt like “work.”

I am grateful to have worked with wonderful children and families, helping them discover that God’s story is their story and building a faithful community that loves and supports one another. Family retreats at the Kalahari Resort, camp experiences at Shores of St. Andrew, a retreat to Holden Village in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, and gatherings in our own backyard have been very important to me.

Along the way, my own personal faith has grown by leaps and bounds. The time I’ve spent in Bible studies, worshipping, participating in service events, and attending other learning opportunities has helped me understand how God’s story is indeed my story, too.

Lord of Life has been my church since I attended the very first service at Cedar Island Elementary School many years ago, and it will remain my church into my retirement. So, this is not good-bye, rather it is thank you. I am grateful for having been able to spend my working years doing something that I have felt called by God to do. I am grateful to all of you, the friends I have made as I’ve stood at the door through the years, welcoming you to Lord of Life. Thank you.

Lynn Leisen’s retirement recognition will be during all worship services on Sunday, August 13!

9: Bible Camp at Shores of St. Andrew

10: Baptism Class via Zoom

11: Loss of a Spouse GriefShare Event

12: Summer Stretch (Wed./Thurs. continues through July)

Story Circles (birth-K)

17-20: Elementary Vacation Bible School (Week 1)

18: New GriefShare Begins

19: Story Circles (birth-K)

23: Outdoor Worship/Picnic and High School Mission Trip Commissioning (10am)

24-27: Elementary Vacation Bible School (Week 2)

26: Story Circles (birth-K)

28: High School Mission Trip Leaves

30: Middle School Mission Trip Leaves

Events may be subject to change. Visit lordoflife.org or call the church office (763.420.5015) for the most upto-date calendar items, specific event times, or severe weather cancellations.

A warm welcome to all Children, Youth & Family Summer Staff

- it’s great to have you at Lord of Life!

2: Story Circles (birth-K)

3: Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLs) Faith, Food & Fellowship

4: Middle School Mission Trip Returns

5: High School Mission Trip Returns

7: Baptism Class via Zoom

13: Lynn Leisen’s Retirement Recognition during Worship

17: OWLs visit Historic Fort Snelling

30: Canticle Choir First Rehearsal

WORSHIP

Saturdays 5:30pm with Livestream

Sundays

8:30, 9:45, and 11am with Livestream

Childcare available (birth - age two) during regular Sunday worship.