THE PACE OF LIFE

The Pedersen Family— John, Emelia (3½), Elizabeth

THE PACE OF LIFE ....................................................2-3 BIBLE 101: RHYTHM FOR A REASON......................4-5 community life / DAILY DEVOTIONS ................. 6-7 sent to serve ......................................................8-9 LILLY GRANT FOR THRIVING CONGREGATIONS ...... 10 COntact Us .................................................................11

by Elizabeth Pedersen (elizabethp@lordoflife.org)

Recently I had a chance to lead one of our 9th grade confirmation ministry small groups. That night, one of the questions posed around the topic of identity was about the kind of person the students hope to be 20 years from now. When I wrote the question, I had in mind a discussion about integrity and character—I thought it would lead to thinking about how we relate to others and engage our faith as a part of how we understand who we are. And so when a majority of the answers to the question was “successful,” it gave me pause. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since. What even is success? It’s such a relative term. On a larger scale, I think most of us can agree that in our country, success = money. But on a smaller, real-life scale, success can mean so many different things. And it can change. Pre-pandemic, my idea of a successful day or week meant packing the schedule and to-do list and plowing through it all like a nondestructive beast. Now? This pace is no longer possible. Maybe it’s the late-pandemic brain fog, or maybe I’m just out of practice, but the fact that last weekend I took on a major yard project, swim lessons, book club, and a night of emotional support for a friend and ended up crying in our team meeting the following Monday from being overwhelmed tells me it’s time to reevaluate.

THE PACE OF LIFE

We are getting close to the end of pandemic life. And while I encourage you to persevere through this last bit of keeping the virus at bay so we can say goodbye to it rather than too many more of God’s beloved—I think we also ought to start imagining what God desires for our lives moving forward. Here are some questions to ponder: • What does it mean to be faithful and compassionate to the person you have become over the course of the pandemic in redefining success?  • When our children and youth look to you for a model of successful living, what do you want them to see?  • Given all you have experienced in the last year, what pace is God calling you to set for your life moving forward? Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2a (NIV)

. . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles