Strength from Jesus

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then, the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him?” Mark 4:35-41

Every day I wake up and look east out of my large picture window. I see the sun wake up and rise above the window. It pleases me to know that Jesus is in control of giving us the sun, the clouds, the rain, the snow and whatever the weather is that day. He is consistent and has provided the sun for almost 80 years (I turn 80 this August), even when the clouds prevent me from seeing it.

Jon Sloan, a former pastor of mine, says in his devotion written in 2013, “When we face our storms in life, where do we place our faith? If we place it on God and Jesus Christ, there is nothing to fear, we will be taken care of. If we place it on ourselves or on anything other than God, then yes, there is plenty to fear. Only God has the power to calm storms and to halt winds. And if God is for us, then who can be against us?" That is how I can see the idea of being afraid and fear being likened to having no faith. 

When I was left alone in my new house, I was afraid. We had built it to be together on the golf course. I turned to God in prayer, sometimes for half or more of a full day. Sometimes I would tell Jesus how I felt, sometimes I would cry, sometimes I would be angry. God and Jesus were there for me.

Before long I was asked to help with the Women’s Tennis Team at Wesleyan University. I had only taught tennis to children, refereed at tournaments for all ages, and played in tournaments myself. I had never taught adult college kids or coached any teams. I believed God would be with me, so I said “Yes” and found a career I loved. Secondly, Tom Tipton who had asked me to help him, retired, and the Athletic Director asked me to coach the Men’s Tennis Team at Wesleyan too. I had never coached adult men! What should I do? Have faith, like Jesus said to have. He is with me. I accepted and ended up taking both teams to the Nationals for NAIA Conferences. The experience at Wesleyan, the people I met and coached, blessed me so much.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, and your son Jesus, for giving me strength when I needed it. Thank you for listening to my prayers and helping me. You continue to give me strength and answer my prayers. Please be with my grandchildren as they experience trials and fears. Show them that you are with them no matter what they experience in life. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Unfailing Love

The earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5 

Rooted in the Faith

Rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 

Words from Habakkuk

The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. Habakkuk 3:19 

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

But God forbid that I should boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 

Isaac Watts felt a clear tug to go into the ministry in England at age 24. He preached and wrote many hymns at that time with the hope of reviving a dying church in England. At that time, hymns were based only on the Psalms. Watts set about to change this. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross is considered the finest hymn in English Church History and Charles Wesley wrote that he wished he had written it rather than all his own.

    When I survey the wondrous cross

    On which the Prince of Glory died.

    My richest gain I count but loss,

    And pour contempt on all my pride.

 

    See, from His head, His, hands, His feet,

    Sorrow and love flow mingled down.

    Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

    Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

  

    Were the whole realm of nature mine,

    That were a present far too small;

    Love so amazing, so divine,

    Demand my soul, my life, my all. 

This hymn was first published in 1707, yet its message continues to speak of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and His love that continues for us all.

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you loved us so much that you sent your son to die for us to take away our sin. As the hymn says "Love so amazing, so divine, Demand my soul, my life, my all". Help us remain focused on your love in our daily lives. Amen

Nancy Hall

(resources on Isaac Watts taken from Then Sings My Soul Book 2 by Robert J. Morgan)

Never Die

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

Peter is telling us in this verse that we, who believe in Jesus Christ’s saving grace, are no longer in the dark but in the light. We are a peculiar people.

The Henry Morris Study Bible says this about a peculiar people, “Peculiar, in this sense, means a special possession.” We have been redeemed by His precious blood and therefore belong wholly to Christ. We have been saved.

This means: He who lives and believes in Me will never die, Jesus says in John 11:26. Brian Coatney says it this way in his book- A Year in Who We Are “To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.”

How exciting is that? We can be sad about losing someone we treasure and have loved dearly, but we can also be glad they are with Jesus in heaven. What wonderful thoughts are those?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for dying for us. Thank you for preparing a place for us with you for eternity. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

In Appreciation of our Earth (and Ivan Chouinard)

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:9-10

It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host. Isaiah 45:12

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. Psalm 96:12

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Luke 12:27

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:28-34

Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

In honor of Earth Day, I’m sharing some thoughts on Patagonia’s founder, Ivan Chouinard. I recently read an essay about him in National Geographic magazine, listing him as an icon of conservation. His story is somewhat unique and certainly admirable. He says: “I use everything until it completely falls apart. My whole life has been pretty simple, really. I’m not a consumer.” While one may be skeptical about this sort of statement from someone who owns/owned a clothing company, Chouinard surprised many by selling his company in 2022. ““I have a living,” he told the New Yorker in 1977, “and that’s all I want out of it.”" He gave away the three-billion-dollar company, with 2 percent of its shares going to a trust that “helps guide Patagonia's social good mission and the other 98 percent to a newly created nonprofit, the Holdfast Collective, which uses the funds to advocate for environmental causes. “Earth,” Chouinard wrote on Patagonia’s website, “is now our only shareholder.””

Speaking to the nature lover in me, he shares this in the essay: “the climate crisis cannot be solved until people find their spiritual connection with nature.” It’s never too late or too early to find your “spiritual connection with nature”. Step outside, take a walk, revel in the trees and flowers you see. As one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, says: “Pay attention.”

We don’t need to be an Ivan Chouinard to do our part. But we can do what we know is right and support those who are doing great things for the planet. Awareness is key. This may be part of why I enjoy sharing my nature photography…like our Lincoln neighbor Joel Sartore, I believe that if we can get others to care, that’s the first step.  

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me do my part in caring for the earth. Help me to see the miraculous world you have created as the irreplaceable planet that it is. Show me how to care for it, including its creatures, human and otherwise. Amen.

Donna Gustafson (click on photos to view larger)

He is Risen

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said, come see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6 

Easter Sunday

He is Risen!

My argument, and it is more like an invitation, is that the only way to understand what Christians mean by God is to train your attention in a different way. Or: if you want to understand it you have to inhabit it.

Oldfield, Elizabeth, Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times (p. 235)

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday: Find a space you can sit for about an hour without being too comfortable. Maybe even go to a park, a trail, a cemetery, a sanctuary or a library.

Then, sit in silence as long as you are able.

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for Good Friday

Nadia Bolz-Weber describes how she learned interdependence through AA. "Recovery is heard to do on your own," she observed. "You have to do it with a group of other people who are messed up in the same way but have found some light in their darkness." They nicknamed this sort of community "The Rowing Club." They were all in the same boat. And they would have to take turns pulling on the oar. At times, each person would have to be willing to be carried. Some days we can be the one who gives, and other days we need to receive. Which is it for you today?

Join us for the Good Friday service 12:00 noon in the sanctuary.  

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for Maundy Thursday

When was the last time you attempted to do the impossible or moving something ridiculously heavy without help?

Share with a friend some of the absurd things you have attempted to do on your own, so you can both have a good laugh today. God knows we all need help asking for help.

Join us for the Maundy Thursday service

6:00 pm dinner

6:45 pm service

Welcome Center 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 16

Spirituality is a person's wired-in longing for a sense of interconnectedness and the sacred. The invitation to immanence is to bring our awareness to how the sacred is here and now, permeating matter, moving through and within us as bodies and moving through and within all matter. This helps us see that our bodies are not obstacles to our spirituality but are the doorway into sensing, experiencing and feeling how the sacred is within and between us.

Join us for yoga (all abilities) in the sanctuary from 6-7 pm. 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 15

Our bodies tell the stories of what we have been through and who we come from. Our bodies invite us to remember that we have ancestors and that we share a common humanity with other people. If you have a mirror or a photo of yourself, look at your features or your body as a whole, and answer the following questions: 

Who do you look like (either specific people or groups of people)?

Who has hair like yours, a face shape like yours, eyes like yours?

Even if the specifics of your feelings and experiences are unique to you, in the history of the world, other people have felt those things and experienced those things too. Imagine them next to you. Notice how it feels to sense your body as the portal to connection.

From Practices for Embodied Living, pg. 24

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 14

Without altering anything, notice your posture. 

Notice the temperature of your body and the room. 

You can ask yourself, Are you hungry or full? 

How tired are you? 

Where do you feel pain?

What parts of your body can you not feel at all?

If you notice an emotion, where do you sense it?

Do you sense that you could take action right now?

If so, where does that sense of creating movement live?

From Practices for Embodied Living, pg. 22
 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 11

"What quirky or weird thing can you do today to seek out and remind yourself of what else can live here too? Might I suggest finding absurd landmarks, roaming the garden department smelling the flowers, singing Christmas carols in April (or your favorite 90s hip hop, another great choice)?" - Kate Bowler 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 10

Read the Psalms.

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 9

"Maybe we need a random list of things to wonder about. Like why does that cloud look like a dinosaur? What do crickets chirp at night? What random things do you wonder about? Write them down as a reminder to wake up each day looking for awe and wonder in the world around you." - Kate Bowler 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 8

There's more than wine tasting: how about chocolate tasting? Coffee tasting?

Join us in the Huxtable Lounge from 5:00-5:30 pm for taste tests planned for you by our Tuesday Afterschool program! 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 7

Find/look for awe in everyday things.
 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 4

Imagine yourself when you were 6 years old. 

Do you remember what you were going through when you turned 10? 

Remember how you felt at 16?

Do you remember your dreams at 21?

All those versions of who you used to be are still inside of you.

Like a nesting doll, every version of you has been a part of you becoming who you are today.

All versions of you were held by God. Be gentle with yourself today. 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 3

Listen to this poem by Ada Limon: click here to read poem

What does it mean to you to witness and be witnessed? 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 2

Write "I am a beloved child of God" on the mirror you use to get ready for your day. Begin and end the day by staring at yourself in the mirror and saying, "I am a beloved child of God".

If you would like a "beloved" sticker for your mirror they are available on the Welcome Desk. 

Fully Alive Spiritual Practice for April 1

Join us in the Welcome Center at 5 pm to make cards and we'll send them for you!

Take the time to make a list of everyone you love. Take the time to write a few people on that list and mail them a letter. It can never be too soon to remind your beloveds of your love!