LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN
7401 County Road 101, Maple Grove, MN 55311-4313
Compass
Visit lordoflife.org/staff for a full staff listing with photos. Send prayer requests to prayernetwork@lordoflife.org. Compass is a guide for those along the path of faith who seek to grow closer to Jesus Christ.
2025
My friend Angie and I took our sons to ValleyFair. The boys wanted to ride Wild Thing—the big, green roller coaster. Inching up the first and highest hill, Angie and I reminded each other to breathe and held each other’s hands. We crested the hill and raced to the bottom, screaming our faces off at 70 mph! Angie and I laughed with joy and reached our arms up toward the sky. I felt grateful to God for the gift of an adventurous and beloved friend.
Some of the most fun I’ve had in my life has happened during church events and trips. For me, it’s been the combination of being with people who want to be wherever we are and getting away from everyday distractions that creates an environment where people can simply be together. With nowhere else to go, a shared mission, and a safe space, people are free to be themselves— and my goodness, is it ever fun.You get to see someone’s silly side, and talk about real stuff, and experience what beloved community is all about. It’s one of the best gifts you can get.
At my ordination, a little over 10 years ago, I served my 3-year-old niece communion. She approached me with wide-eyed wonder and curiosity, and I have never regretted that split-second decision to serve her communion for the first time. Especially because of a conversation that happened a few weeks later. My mom told me of how she brought her to worship the following week, and after receiving a blessing at communion she became agitated. When asked what was wrong, she sternly said, “They didn’t give me my Jesus cracker. I love Jesus, and Jesus loves me, and they didn’t give me my Jesus cracker.” She has received communion ever since and arguably articulates the meaning of communion better than I do.
T FA h
Deacon Elizabeth Pedersen
Pastor Kaitlyn Forster
Pastor Karen Wight Hoogheem
I love music and I love going to concerts. My favorite music, however, does not tend to be anything close to what’s considered worship and praise music. I believe, however, that God has knit beauty into all of our creative and artistic endeavors. Some songs may be “broken hallelujahs,” yet God is there in all of it. When I’m at a concert, especially at a smaller venue, there’s a clear sense that all of us are interconnected, coming from different lives, perspectives, and experiences, all to enjoy this marvelous musical gift.
IS F UN
A fun way to share our faith is in simply listening to another’s story. It can be over coffee and donuts in Fellowship Hall, over coffee at work, in a waiting room, within a support group, or a by-chance random meeting in a longer line at a check-out. Listening deeply can be profoundly spiritual. It requires slowing down, being in the moment, and opening our hearts to another—all while expecting nothing in return. Because everyone longs to be seen and heard, I always walk away having learned something new about the other and about my faith.
Pastor Joel Wight Hoogheem
Pastor LisaMarie Doerrmann
B I N G O
Color a mandala, a page in a coloring book (or Page 13!), or simply doodle. Play music or enjoy silence. Relax and let your mind wander.
Journal with these prompts: I remember my favorite grandparents as a... My feelings today remind me of when... I feel great about my body when...
Sing in the shower! Attend a concert. Play an instrument. Try a new instrument. Perform for another person.
Go to First Sundays Contemplative Worship with healing prayer at 6:30pm, June 1 or August 3.
Recall a fun memory from childhood. Write about it in a journal or tell someone the story. Notice how you are the same and how you have changed since childhood.
Get your hands dirty in the garden and enjoy God’s gift of creation.
Daily Examen - ask God to reflect on your day together. Notice the moments for which you were most grateful and least grateful. Express gratitude for God’s presence in your day.
Walk the prayer labyrinth and/or the Steps in the Spirit in Lord of Life’s backyard.
Listen to someone without interrupting or offering advice.
Set a timer on your phone for five minutes and sit still with God.
Volunteer at a food bank, homeless shelter, or animal shelter, donate blood, usher read in worship, or be a Children, Youth & Family summer volunteer.
Go on a retreat for an afternoon. Or stretch yourself and get away for 1-2 nights (see Page 22).
Imaginative Prayerread a Bible story and imagine yourself in the scene. Use your senses to notice how you feel.
Go for a walk (outside or inside). Notice what you see, hear, smell, and feel (no earbuds). How do you feel connected to your body, nature, other people, and God?
Start your day with quiet. No phone, TV, radio, etc. Sit with a cup of tea, coffee, water or nothing and welcome the day in God’s peace.
Lectio Divina - Slowly read John 15:9 four times. First time, simply listen. Second, notice a word that catches your attention. Third, tell God your response to the word. Fourth reading, rest in God’s presence.
Acts of Justice - Show up for a cause you care about. Write a letter. Make a call. Donate money. Go to a rally or visit a leader to advocate for a cause.
Create a sacred space in your home. Ideas to inspire: an altar made from a small table or wooden box, fresh or dry flowers, candles, pictures of honored people, rocks.
Practice forgiveness. Center yourself in God’s love. Imagine someone who has hurt you.
“May you be filled with lovingkindness, safe from inner and outer dangers, well in body and mind, and at ease and happy.”
Sit outside on a dark, cloudless night with your favorite blanket. Gaze up at the starry sky. The longer you stay, the more you’ll see. Thank God for the universe.
Write a note to someone who has been important to you. Tell them the reasons you are grateful for them.
Spend some time with an animal. Watch a bird. Take a nap with a dog. Play with a cat. Admire a deer. Feed fish.
Cook a meal and share it with a friend or family member.
Receive Holy Communion and thank God for the real presence of Jesus in your life and the gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation!
This contemplative spiritual practices bingo combines faith and fun for summer! Cross off a square to complete a Bingo horizontally / vertically / diagonally. Bring it in to the main office before August 31 for a free swag item!
SUMMER BEACH READS
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the well-known Anglican hymn delightfully illustrated by Jean Claude. Birds soar, bugs burrow, elephants dance, and plants grow as the whole world sings in praise of the Creator. Kids and parents may want to sing along with fun surprises and creative characters.
—Carly Tappe
The Breath of the Soul by Joan Chittister is a small, simple book. It has 42 reflections that help us look at the discipline of prayer—in whatever form it takes—to make it a more authentic and profound part of our lives. The reflections are ongoing steps along the way that we retrace over and over again until they become the very breath, vision, and energy of the soul.
Linda Botner
The Lost Books series is a hexalogy of mind-bending fantasy books written by American author Ted Dekker. Six young-adult (and there is an adult series) novels span the 15-year gap between Black and Red books. They are adrenaline-laced epics where dreams and reality collide.
—Neil Christians
James by Percival Everett is a retelling of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn classic told through the voice of Huck’s enslaved companion, Jim. This tender, compassionate, and sometimes humorous novel brings the reader to a radical insight on emancipation and the essence of language creating powerful connections in community, relationships, and identity.
—Bev Mello
whether on the beach or at home— dive into a good book this summer!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
In Lord of Life’s lower-level Youth Room, faith formation is fun! Thousands of youth from preschool to high school have experienced memorable connections and learnings in this safe place. If you haven’t been downstairs recently—you are invited to take a self-tour. Until then, see if you can spot ten differences in the two photos below.
Answers on Page 23 (no peeking)!
photos by kelly froehle
TASTE + SEE
by Sarah Lee, Communications Executive Director
I love a good smoothie any time of the year, but it feels especially appropriate during the summer. These two smoothies remind me of the phrase, “We eat first with our eyes.” Sure, it may be more work to blend up three different layers for one smoothie, but we use our sense of sight, in addition to our sense of smell and taste, when we eat. And even the simple two-ingredient recipe creates a vibrant pink that’s delicious to the eyes.
I’m quite laissez-faire when it comes to making smoothies, so these are less recipe and more general suggestion. If you’re a person who needs measurements, start with about ¼ cup of everything, see how that works, and go from there. You can always add sweetness with sweetened milk or yogurt, add more yogurt or protein powder for protein, or swap out ingredients you don’t like. Have fun with it!
Sunrise Smoothie
Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
Orange juice
Milk of choice (oat, dairy, soy, etc.)
Peaches, pineapple, mango, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (use all frozen fruits)
Prep your glass: Using a spoon, smear some Greek yogurt on the sides of your glass to resemble clouds. Layer one: Blend together orange juice, peaches, pineapple, and mango. Fill the bottom third of your glass. Leave anything left in your blender for the next layer. Layer two: Add strawberries, raspberries, and milk to the blender. Blend and pour another layer into the glass until it’s about 2/3 full. Stir very gently to to create a gradient between the layers. Pour any extras into a separate glass. Layer three: Blend together blueberries, strawberries, and milk. Fill the remainder of the glass and stir gently again.
Summer Smoothie
Fresh seedless watermelon
Frozen strawberries
Using about a 3-to-1 ratio of watermelon to strawberries, blend the fruit together.
Psalm 34:8 invites a personal, experiential understanding of God’s goodness. It encourages people to draw closer to God and experience love. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for taste implies more than simply a superficial sampling; it suggests a deep, intimate relationship. For faith and fun, be intentional—so “Taste and see that the Lord is good” this summer!
sarah
GOD VIBES
by Brian Schroeder, Emerging Worship Coordinator + Design Strategist
I love a good playlist! Having a picnic? Playlist. Taking a road trip? Playlist. Hanging in the backyard with friends? Playlist.
Here are some great summer songs to listen to during hot days. Find them on Lord of Life’s Spotify page!
scan this code to take you to the Spotify playlist:
Church (Samm Henshaw featuring EARTHGANG): Possibly the catchiest song of all time. I sing it when I’m excited to head to church Sunday morning!
O God of Life (Brian Schroeder): This is from my album of worship songs, and I always thought of it as a summer song. It explores how God is present in all of creation and is inspired by the theology of Julian of Norwich.
The Getaway (The Strike): No real theological statement here, I just love this 90s-style bop.
Not Gonna Worry (Common Hymnal + Kanjii Mbugua): A nice reminder of the freedom that comes from having faith in Jesus—complete with Afro-futurist beats!
Your Love is My Song (The Porter’s Gate and friends): I’ll always love this easy-going worship song.
Mississippi (Mayyadda): A beautiful song about personal growth from my extremely talented friend, Mayyadda.
So Good to Me (William Matthews): A groovy worship song about God’s faithfulness.
Little Blue (Jacob Collier featuring Brandi Carlile): Obsessed with this comforting lullaby about trust and courage.
Same Sky (Gungor + Astyn Turr): This is a brandnew song from the deconstructionist Christian band, Gungor. And don’t we need a reminder that “it’s all gonna be fine”?
Take It Easy (The Porter’s Gate and friends): Not to be confused with the Eagles song and Winslow, Arizona—Take It Easy is a chill encapsulation of Lutheran theology. God already loves you completely!
First Name: Age:
Bring this completed page to the main office—it will be displayed in Fellowship Hall this summer!
Grab markers,
pencils, gel glitter pens, or whatever you feel like using and color in this page!
crayons,
.
..all people, family or not, are created by God and worthy of love, acceptance, and care.
but as family. And as family, it’s easier to see their goodness, to regard them with care and curiosity, to believe them when they share their interests and passions, to come alongside them in achieving their hopes and dreams, to want the best for them, and to love them. Isn’t that true? It’s easier to love a family member than a stranger. But this doesn’t change the fact that all people, family or not, are created by God and worthy of love, acceptance, and care.
This auntie love energy is the energy with which I try to approach being an ally for the LGBTQIA+ community. I imagine what I would say or do if one of the beloveds in my family came to me and shared something core to their identity with me. Would I reject them? Or would I believe them and make an effort to walk with them, learn from them, and encourage them?
There is much debate in the world about what the Bible does or does not say about human sexuality and gender identity, and many approaches to interpreting God’s desire for humanity. But at least for me, there are a couple of things that are clear: one is that I am not God, and it’s not for me to determine or debate the validity of someone’s identity.
And the second is that God is love (1 John 4:78), and that any response to God’s beloved that isn’t rooted in love, affirmation, and care is not from God at all.
And so as much as I may encounter terminology, social norms, or people that I don’t understand or that are new and a little
scary, I do my best to respond with auntie love. I learn, I ask questions, and I allow a little discomfort in myself for the sake of affirming someone who is created and loved by God.
Are you interested in learning as an LGBTQIA+ ally? I recently attended a training on a Lutheran introduction to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression led by Reconciling Works that I found super helpful.
Find out more at: reconcilingworks.org/trainings.
JULY/
JUNE
AUGUST
Summer Sundays for Kids (age 3 to grade 3, learn more on Page 22) Summer Stretch (middle schoolers) Vacation Bible School (ages 2-5) new!
Shores of St. Andrew Bible Camp (completed grades 1-12) Play & Pray (prekindergarten) Milwaukee, WI Mission Trip (middle school) Pewaukee, WI Mission Trip (high school) Adventure Vacation Bible School (elementary) new!
Children, Youth and Family ministries and mission trips fill the summer with faith and fun—some spots are still available, particularly if you would like to volunteer! Two weeks of preschool/kindergarten Vacation Bible School (VBS), three weeks of Adventure VBS, Bible camps at Shores of St. Andrew, the new Play & Pray, Summer Stretch, and more!
LET’S PLAY!
by Sarah Lee, Communications Executive Director
Recently, I was babysitting my niece and nephew, and they were playing outside in their sandbox. My niece started pouring sand in a bucket and asked if I wanted a smoothie (of course I did). I was presented with a “smoothie” and subsequently boba, a “special surprise” drink, and a chocolate mint drink that all looked suspiciously like sand. They then started a chocolate factory by mixing dirt, sand, and water in a wheelbarrow, throwing in some sticks of chalk for color. Kids’ ability to play is so delightful. Without any direction, they can create a whole world, full of imaginary people, places, and things. There’s no agenda, no output, no finish line (well, none that they don’t put on themselves—my niece had very strong feelings about what her “chocolate” should end up like, and I was not allowed to “taste” it until it met her standards).
When we’re kids, play is a huge part of our lives, it’s how we grow and develop. We cultivate physical and emotional skills, build resilience, and make connections with others through play. But play doesn’t stop when we become adults. Our brains are not developing in the same way, but that doesn’t mean that play isn’t important. Play positively benefits things like our mental health, our ability to handle stress, and our socialemotional skills.
All these benefits are amazing, of course, but I also want to make the argument for play just for the sake of play, of fun for the sake of fun. We feel like we need to be constantly productive, to the point where even our rest and leisure time is meant to refuel us for our next sprint of output.
If you Google the definition of play, you’ll see: “engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” We don’t play because it’s practical, we play because it’s fun.
The Bible has this concept of sabbath, of taking the seventh day of the week for rest. God spends six days working, and on the seventh day, after pronouncing that everything is very good, God takes a break. Later, in Exodus, God invites
God’s people to do the same—to treat the sabbath as holy or set apart from all the work and labor that happens day in and day out, and to do something different.
Sabbath, and taking a sabbath, is an admission that we are not in control. No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we work, we can’t do everything, and we can’t control everything any more than the people of the Old Testament could. We have to trust that things will be okay if we take some time to stop working for a minute, or a day, or a week, or a year.
There is plenty of work to do, but there’s also plenty to let go of. And play helps us do that. It reminds us that not everything has to be productive; the cogs of capitalism do not own us. It reminds us that joy, fun, and laughter are valuable. It reminds us that the world that God made is full of good things, even if they can be hard to see sometimes.
In order to embrace this spirit of play, I had a few friends over to play LEGO. I spread out a sheet on the floor, dumped a bin of LEGO onto it, and we played with them while we chatted about our lives and listened to music from when we were in middle school. It wasn’t earthshattering or life-changing, but it was fun, which is enough.
What feels like play to you? How can you make more time for that in your life?
FEED MY STARVING SPRING
Soul Care Retreat
Childcare available (birth-age two) during Sunday morning worship
Learning. Creating. Playing. Being. On June 16-18, join Pastor Karen and Deacon Elizabeth for a couple days of spiritual rest, connection, and renewal during Ordinary Time at Camp House in Brimson, Minnesota. $200 includes food, lodging, and programming (transportation on your own).
details + registration: lordoflife.org/transformation
Summer Sundays for Kids
Summer Sundays includes Bible stories, games, activities, music, and fun! For children two years old to third grade, all are invited and welcomed.
No pre-registration is needed. No fee to participate.
Check-in at a kiosk when you arrive, then bring your kids to worship in the sanctuary. After the opening music and prayer, children will be invited to exit worship with their name tags. Staff will be waiting to welcome them. After worship, pick up your kids in Samaritan Hall.
SUMMER WORSHIP
new summer worship times!
Saturdays: 5:30pm with holy communion every week Sundays: 9 + 10:30am
Crossword Puzzle Answers (Page 8): all worship livestreamed on YouTube
Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend
For all events, changes, recurring ministry events, and announcements, visit lordoflife.org with the most current information. Visit lordoflife.org/congregational life for a list of baptisms, bereavements, and new members. And, you are invited to Lord of Life’s prayer network (lordoflife.org/prayernetwork) to pray for the community.
“Spot the Differences” Answers (Page 9):
1. The backpack on the wall is a different green.
2. The green and coral shirts switched places on the rack.
3. The sunscreen has moved.
4. The pool balls and gaga ball switched places.
5. The gaga ball net is upside down.
6. The pool noodle moved.
7. The cones switched colors.
8. The purple hula hoop is missing.
9. The Bibles switched positions.
10. The foosball players are upside down.
Lord of Life
Loved by God. Sent to Serve.
It’s a gift to joyfully recognize and accept our own smallness and ordinariness. Then you are free with nothing to live up to, nothing to prove, and nothing to protect.
~Richard Rohr
Name Address
City, ST 00000-0000
[Jesus said] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
~John 15:9–11
To act lovingly is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others which in turn makes one feel joyful. I believe we are called to the duty of delight.
~Dorothy Day