Lord of life lutheran
AUGUST 2022
C O M P A S S
about
the
cover
Three Summer Stretch small groups—such as this one on the cover—planted 500 pine saplings along Lord of Life’s campus perimeter. It’s a great analogy for the Children, Youth & Family department’s mission. All of us may not see trees (or children!) reach full maturity— yet still seedlings are planted & nurtured for the future. Lord of Life believes in youth and invests in faith formation. And this month, it is very exciting to invite all adults to enter a faith formation journey with The Story (see Pastor Joel’s lead article)! The August issue traditionally features youth in summer programming; this month is no different. Lord of Life’s children and youth were in Adventure Week, Vacation Bible School (VBS) for preschoolers/kindergarteners, and Summer Stretch. Occurring during August is also a middle school mission trip to Milwaukee, WI, and more VBS for elementary ages. Whew! May we also learn about Finding Balance in Bible 101 by Brian Schroeder (Pages 10-11)!
—Bev Mello
ENTER THE STORY.................................................................2-3 BIBLE 101: FINDING BALANCE ............................................4-5 PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN VBS.....................................6-7 ADVENTURE WEEK................................................................8-9 SUMMER STRETCH / CONTACT US..................................10-11 WHICH IS BEST COMPASS FOR YOU & YOUR FAITH?......... 12 2
E N T E R by Lead Pastor Joel Wight Hoogheem (joel@lordoflife.org)
Our brains are wired to make connections. I recently attended a conference where I did not know any of the other attendees. Whenever I’d meet another new person, I found myself trying to find connections between them and me. Hometown, family situation, job history, what have you. What I found was that I was able to make connections with each person I met since our shared humanity gave us a common space. It was up to me to find out what it was. This all points to ideas about our identity. Who are you? Who are we? And maybe most importantly, whose are you? Beginning this fall, you will have the opportunity to make all those connections within the biblical story. As people of faith, we want to understand how we’re connected to God’s grand story. Lord of Life will be using a great resource called The Story as a way for us to learn about the scope of the entire Bible and see just how we fit into God’s story. (Spoiler alert about whose we are: we are God’s!) The Story is both a great resource and the journey we’ll be taking over the next eight months. We will travel through the entire Bible over 31 weeks, from Genesis to Revelation. We will hear of God’s promises and love. We will connect with imperfect biblical characters who wrestle with similar issues to what we do today. We will be
T H E
S T O R Y refreshed in our understanding of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We will be inspired by the Holy Spirit to live out this good news of God. The key resource is a condensed chronological Bible, and in our church-wide journey through it we’re going to discover how our story fits into God’s story. Copies of the book and a study guide will be available for purchase at Lord of Life. Worship and learning events for all ages will center on The Story. Each week we will encounter and engage the same biblical stories and texts, at age-appropriate levels. The Story is
well worth your time, energy, and dedication. I hope that this journey will be a top priority for you, as a meaningful way to let your faith in God inform absolutely everything in your life. The Story will be the first year of a three-year focus at Lord of Life called “Discover Your Story.” The entire scope will look like this: 2022-23: Hear the Story, with a focus on the Discipleship Practices of Worship and Learn
2023-24: Live the Story, with a focus on the Discipleship Practices of Serve and Give 2024-25: Share the Story, with a focus on the Discipleship Practice of Invite I hope and pray that you’ll be an active part of this exciting three-year journey. We will be able to make meaningful connections, grow deeper in our faith, grow closer to God and one another, and serve others in life-giving ways. More information will be available in upcoming issues of Compass, as well as on the Lord of Life website and social media platforms.
202 2-2 3: H e a r t h e St o r y, w i t h a f o c u s o n t h e D i s c i p l e s h i p Pr a c t i ce s o f Wo r s h i p a n d L e a r n
2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
202 3 -24: L e a r n t h e St o r y, w i t h a f o c u s o n t h e D i s c i p l e s h i p Pr a c t i ce s o f S e r v e a n d G i v e
2024 -2 5: S h a r e t h e St o r y, w i t h a f o c u s o n t h e D i s c i p l e s h i p Pr a c t i ce o f I n v i t e
lordoflife.org/practices
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While physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. —1 Timothy 4:8
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Bible 101
F I N D I N G Bet ween
Res t
and
B A L A N C E
Bus ynes s
by Emerging Worship & Social Media Specialist Brian Schroeder (brians@lordoflife.org) In the midst of all the hustle and bustle that comes with a fun-filled summer, I think it’s worthwhile to also explore another seemingly conflicting, yet essential, part of the Christian life: rest. There are plenty of well-known passages in the Bible about rest— from the gift of Sabbath in the books of Genesis and Exodus, to lying in green pastures in Psalm 23, to lightening our burdens in Matthew 11. In this instance, however, I’d like to explore how we might find balance between rest and busyness with the help of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. First, some background. Paul had mentored Timothy as he was planting churches all over Asia Minor and Europe. One of the largest churches in Ephesus was experiencing turmoil as false teachers were coming in spreading misinformation about what it means to follow Jesus, so Paul sent Timothy to help get the community back on track. 1 Timothy is one of two letters Paul wrote to Timothy, instructing him on how to address this problem. Here Paul presents a holistic vision for the church, centering on the idea that what a church believes informs how the church lives. If Christians are going to be known for living lives of integrity and
charity, we must ground ourselves in the knowledge of scripture. Then we will be able to live faithful lives, informed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
But godliness, suggests Paul, is “valuable in every way.” When we are well-informed of how central rest is in the Bible, we are able to keep tabs on our busyness, knowing what things are worth extra engagement and when it is time to lighten our load and lie down in some green pastures—or swing in a hammock—for awhile.
It’s in this context that Paul writes a sentence that I find to be reasonable and balanced—which is uncharacteristic of a lot of claims he makes!
May you embrace the balance of living a faithful life, allowing each busy and restful moment to be connected to the love and grace of God.
He says, “While physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 Now bear with me as I connect this concept to rest and busyness! So often we can be critical of busyness, and with good reason: in our capitalist, comparison-obsessed society, it’s easy for us to work and schedule ourselves into smithereens and lose who we are in the process. But some busyness isn’t necessarily negative. Staying connected with loved ones, working on a meaningful project, experiencing the wild exuberance that CYF summer programming offers—all of these things are the good kind of busy. As Paul says, it “is of some value,” like how physical training is good for your body.
reflection questions •
Which busy parts of your life bring value? Which don’t?
•
Take a look at the other verses mentioned in this article (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Psalm 23, and Matthew 11). How do these verses inform your idea of rest?
•
How might you introduce rest into your schedule this week?
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PRESCHOOL-KIND Lord of Life’s summer programming included two identical weeks of a four-day Vacation Bible School (VBS) program for preschool to kindergarten-aged children. They heard Joseph’s story and how awesome God is through crafts, music, video, and God’s word (see Bible buddies below) —it was a blast!
“God’s unfailing love will last forever.” Psalm 89:2 Harley the Gila Monster
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DERGARTEN VBS
“God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 Miley the Road Runner
“How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!” Psalm 147:5 Howell the Coyote
“Come and see what our God has done.” Psalm 66:5 Jett the Jack Rabbit
“Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” Romans 8:38 Rollo the Armadillo
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ADVENTU
Adventure Week 2022 was a fourday program for elementary-aged children. Participants grew in their faith through service projects, field trips, Bible studies, team-building activities—and there were lots of beautiful smiles!
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RE WEEK
Fleece blankets were made for the Prayer Shawl ministry!
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SUMMER Let’s learn a lesson from our youth in their commitment to serve! During June & July on Wednesdays or Thursdays, this was their general daily schedule: 8:15am 8:30-11 11 12:30-3pm 3 3:15 4:30
Devotional Serve in the community Reflections & lunch Afternoon activity Journal & closing worship Snack & free-time activities Student pick-up
Service opportunities included assembling bikes for foster care individuals, Cross Services food shelf, The Food Group food shelf, Feed My Starving Children, Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Global Health Ministries, building chairs for Habitat for Humanity, working in LifeGARDEN, assembling supplies for Lutheran World Relief, helping set up for Preschool VBS, and working/learning about Settled, the tiny home community.
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STRETCH
LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA)
7401 County Road 101, Maple Grove, MN 55311-4313 phone 763.420.5015 web lordoflife.org Visit lordoflife.org/staff for a full staff listing with photos. Prayer requests may be submitted to prayernetwork@lordoflife.org.
PASTORAL STAFF
WORSHIP / CONNECT
Rev. Dr. Joel Wight Hoogheem, Lead Pastor, joel@lordoflife.org
Visit lordoflife.org/worship for the most up-to-date worship schedule.
Rev. LisaMarie Doerrmann, Interim Pastor, lisamaried@lordoflife.org
To connect with an adult ministry representative, contact Karen Nelson (karenn@lordoflife.org).
Rev. Kaitlyn Forster, Pastor, kaitlynf@lordoflife.org Rev. Dr. Karen Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Pastor Emeritus, karengl@lordoflife.org Rev. Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Pastor Emeritus, peter@lordoflife.org Rev. David McCarty, Pastor, davem@lordoflife.org
lordoflife.org
office@lordoflife.org
To connect with a children, youth, and family representative, contact Kirstin Delp (kirstind@lordoflife.org). For all ministry events and calendar items with the most current dates, times, details, event locations, and registrations—visit lordoflife.org.
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Compass is a monthly ministry by Lord of Life Lutheran Church (ELCA) printed by Wallace Carlson Printing using ecofriendly inks. 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 office@lordoflife.org. Credits: Lightstock, Monumental and Bible Buddies by Group Publishing, Inc., Unsplash. Copyright © 2022 Lord of Life Lutheran Church
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Which is the best Compass for you & your faith?
Beginning with September/October, a newly-designed Compass will be printed and mailed every other month. It will include articles, Bible reflections, baptisms/bereavements, new members/ weddings as well as new features and resources for your faith life (including some brief calendar items).
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Would you like to continue receiving Compass in your mailbox? If so, there is no need to do anything; you will remain on the mailing list. Would you prefer to receive Compass only in an electronic version? If so, please email bevm@lordoflife.org. When on a journey, especially one of faith, you need the right Compass for your path.