Trust and Letting Go

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

When my husband Joel was in a rehabilitation hospital following a motorcycle accident, he developed panic attacks due to PTSD. These attacks were upsetting for all of us, likely no one more than Joel himself. Any of us who witnessed an attack felt a sense of helplessness. People who have experienced panic attacks can attest: someone trying to talk you out of one simply doesn’t work.

I’ve had to appreciate that lesson many of us must learn: I can’t "fix" it, I just need to let it go and trust God. I could be a support when I was there (in the hospital). I had to trust the medical personnel…and when I left the hospital room, remember that it’s fruitless to worry. In some ways, leaving a loved one at the hospital and going home is the perfect analogy to letting go of worry…we’re not there to witness what we can’t control, and we’re not there, so we can’t control it! We just need to trust that God is in control, and he is with us, giving us a sense of peace.

This week my Wednesday bible study group is studying the story of Joseph in Genesis, in particular the passage when Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to ask for grain during the famine. “God’s presence is the promise in every situation” is what our author shares. It’s not hoping for our circumstances to change; it’s knowing that God is with us through it all.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to place my trust in you and let go of the things that cause me to worry. Help me remember that you are with me, always. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

I Counted my Blessings and Fell Asleep

It had been one of those days - I couldn't put my finger on the reason but I felt "down." Trying to look back on the day I started recalling each event and began to see I should count my blessings. The day began with each member of our family physically and mentally able to arise! Surely that is a blessing in itself. The sun was bursting through our kitchen window as we enjoyed together a breakfast adequate for our physical needs. Each of us had work to do.

After all had left to go their various ways, I couldn't resist an urge to go out to our garden and check for any evidence of approaching spring. A purple crocus and dozens of tulip sprouts were peeking up out of the soil. The air felt warm and moist - a beautiful feeling. The phone rang - a friend - could I come and have coffee? A friend, one of the richest blessings of all.

A call came during the day from my husband. A job, which we both had such high hopes of his getting, had been filled. Instead of falling apart, I was able to accept the disappointment with calmness and strength as I had prayed to God that I might do no matter what the decision might be.

The family began arriving home from various duties of the day - wholesome, happy and glad to come home. My cup overflows!

Nighttime - dinner together - shared problems and successes of the day. Understanding, listening ears, we all need this blessing.

Surely I am showered with hundreds of blessings each day that I fail to recognize as His hand at work in my life.

We all shy away from being called "religious" because that implies we are overly pious. But to be more aware of the spirit of God in just the everyday, ordinary experiences - that is different. Yes, He is a wonderful Lord.

Shared anonymously by an Eastridge member for the 1973 Lent devotional called "He's a Wonderful Lord".

Grief is Strong Medicine

"Grief is strong medicine, life loves on." - (page 133, The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman) 

Sitting in the beauty shop waiting my turn, I spoke with the lady sitting by me. She said, “you look nice but sad." When I told her that I am a recent widow, she smiled and asked, “Do you have a church?”, I replied, “Yes, Eastridge Presbyterian Church for the past 50 years." Her reply was “Then you know Jesus."

My answer was not on the tip of my tongue and luckily my hairdresser was ready for me. But, I thought, Do I Know Jesus?  I have learned of his life, his teachings. He loved the little children, he turned water into wine, he fed the multitudes with loaves and fishes, he healed the bleeding woman, he raised his friend from the dead, he helped the blind to see and as a child, he talked to the priests in the temple. He also died on the cross and was risen from the dead.

I could have told that very nice and concerned lady all of this, but my faith is mine. Sometimes, I find it hard to understand, hard to define. As a widow beginning to walk the lonely path, I feel his presence. I am reminded of the old hymn “In the Garden”.  He walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me, I am his own.  Yes, maybe I can’t claim to know him, but he and I are friends. He, his Father and the Holy Ghost.

Carolyn Olsen 

Thanks and Gratitude

We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3  

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Philemon 1:4-6

In October 2009, our youngest son, Joel, had the opportunity to spend four weeks in Ireland as part of his senior year studies at Hastings College. Much time was spent making plans, by Hastings College administrators, to ensure the quality and safety of this trip for the five students selected as “guinea pigs” for this new program. Projects of interest were pondered and researched by the “Irish Fellows”, as the students were called, to determine what his or her course of study would be while in Ireland. After much contemplation and prayer, Joel chose to study the concept of pilgrimage. He read several books and articles on pilgrimage along with checking out other people’s definitions of pilgrimage. He then began to “search” for his own personal definition by making plans to have such an experience himself while in Ireland.

Before leaving, the “Irish Fellows” took classes in Irish history, literature and religion. One of Joel’s requirements was to write a blog about his feelings and experiences as he prepared for this trip and then during his time in Ireland. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to read and share in the thoughts of our then 22-year-old and be able, from far away, to experience his experiences, to share in his questioning, and to be in wonder at the way he could express himself and, at times, give clarity to some of my own personal frustrations and worries.

One day, as I was reading one of Joel’s blog entries, it became clear to me the vast amount of influence many of you at Eastridge Church had on his life, both personally and spiritually. Faces and names came to mind as I continued reading. It became very evident that I needed to express my thanks to our church family for the many ways you helped in his development as a young Christian. With that in mind, I’d like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to each of you who:

            - spent time planning Sunday School and Bible school lessons when you could have gone to the movies;

            - poured over vocal octavos and hand bell music when you really just wanted to sit down and listen to your favorite CDs;

            - made phone calls and sent emails to secure arrangements for mission trips when you could have been making plans for your own vacation;

            - traveled on these mission trips when you could have used this time for your own personal “get-aways”;

            - took the time to attend youth fund-raisers when shopping at Gateway might have been more appealing;

            - shared your time as a mentor or youth sponsor, officially or unofficially, when you could have chosen to spend that same time in quiet solitude;

            - accepted, and tried to answer, the “hard” questions that were asked when you could have pretended to not hear;

            - provided a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear when you could have turned and walked away;

            - showed your faith through your actions instead of “hiding it under a bushel”;

            - gave an encouraging smile when your own worries and troubles were overwhelming.

Prayer: Dear Lord: My thankfulness and gratitude runs deep for our Eastridge church family. So many have been instrumental in the spiritual and personal development of our children and youth over the years. In both big and small ways, may each of us continue to see how we can share the talents you have given us to build up, encourage and support our own community of faith along with the various communities that reside outside our church’s walls. May our lives always be a testament to your love, grace and faithfulness.  Amen.

Patty Niemann (reprinted from January 2009)

He's a Wonderful Lord

The doctor had just told me I had rheumatic fever and that I would be in the hospital for at least ten days for tests and observation. Recently I had phoned the superintendent of schools in Fremont, Nebraska, to inform him I would be unable to take my first teaching position. As I lay in my bed at Bryan Memorial Hospital that fall day it seemed the world had caved in on my young world of dreams and ambitions. I reached for my Bible on the bed stand. It had been my practice to take it with me when I was away from home. The verse I turned to I cannot recall, but as I prayed and read my Bible a strange and wonderful feeling came within my whole being. I felt an uplifting of my spirits that I cannot really explain. It was a happy feeling and I knew I was ready to make the best of my situation and God would be helping me.

This time in my life proved to be a most rewarding one. I learned much about patience, love, understanding, and appreciation of family and friends. I had more time for reading, thinking and handcraft work than I had ever had before. In the long winter months of bed rest and recovery I continued to receive strength and inspiration from reading my Bible.

Betty Thomson, reprinted from the Eastridge Lent devotional, 1973 (and shared previously in 2021)

That Tree I Knew (in honor of National Love a Tree Day)

 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

“To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Recently our neighborhood lost a great tree. What I mean when I say “great”: old, tall, healthy, spectacular-looking. Since it was still healthy, I was saddened to hear that it was going to be cut down. The reasons behind it being cut down are not important here; but I do want to say that cutting down a healthy tree is different from cutting down an unhealthy tree.

The morning it was to be cut down, I was at home. The tree's owners advised us that there would be a crane and large trucks preventing us from using our driveways and the end of the street. I was interested in how they would cut down such a tall tree, but also just wanted to watch its end. I’ve noticed this tree for the nine years we have lived on this block and have always marveled at its beauty and uniqueness. Sometimes it was a quick glance before getting in my car and seeing the morning sun hit it in just the right way. Or maybe it was studying its beauty and waiting for the perfect photo opportunity. I KNEW this tree.

As I watched it come down, piece by piece (kind of like taking apart an artificial Christmas tree), I thought of all this tree had “seen”. It had been standing during the first World War (maybe), the second (certainly), surviving through our current age of technology. It had likely sheltered countless species of birds, as well as squirrels and raccoons.

While admiring the skill of the man who operated the chainsaw (not to mention the crane operator), I watched it come down faster than I had expected. Despite the difficulty of removing such a large tree, they were done by noon. It seemed wrong that something that had grown to this towering height over so many years came down in just a few hours. I thought of the approximately 100 years of growing from a tiny seed...it was sobering, sad. The loud, violent sound of the chainsaw seemed appropriate to what was happening. The smell of the ground stump still lingered over a week later, a clean pine scent I enjoyed, despite its reminder of what was no longer there. 

The tree is/was a world unto itself, as many large trees are. I am not sure what sort of analogy I want to make, but what stands out to me has been the fact that all living things must die eventually. For humans that means eternal life. For this tree, I guess, it just means that its time on earth has come to an end. BUT: there are parts of this tree that will go on forever. We are all connected to the earth in one way or another as living beings. In Diana Butler Bass’s book, Grounded, she shares thoughts from Paul Tillich (a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran Protestant theologian): “Human life may be finite, destined for dirt and death; but the ground and all that came from it and was connected to it was drenched with the divine, the source of infinite holiness.” She shares that Tillich didn’t mean that God was literally dirt, but that He is the “numinous presence at the center of all things”. 

When things die, they return to the earth and atmosphere in different ways. 

Unlike trees, as human beings we are promised eternal life with God when our earthly bodies perish. 

Scripture tells us:

For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. John 10:28-29

For You granted Him authority over all humanity, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him. John 17:2

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your promise of eternal Life with You. Help us to turn to you when we are grieving the loss of something that was once living, whether it is a part of nature or a beloved being with whom we have shared life. We know that all living things must die; we turn to you for understanding and comfort when these losses hurt us. Thank you for the connectedness of living things on this earth. Be with us on our journey. Amen.

Donna Gustafson (reprinted from 2022)

(photos of the white pine referred to in this devotion are shown above. Click on photos to view larger.)

Storing Treasures

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus teaches about the orientation we must endeavor to achieve, directing our hearts toward the things of heaven, rather than worldly possessions and desires.  He speaks of moths, rust and thieves as threats to the material goods we strive to attain.  Of course, Jesus is also addressing more broadly the many agents ready and waiting to erode the worldly wealth we are so inclined to try and possess.  

I am inclined to be a saver, or as we sometimes joke, an “archivist,” following in the footsteps of my parents and grandparents.  My more minimalist adult children often respond with a polite “no thank you” when I offer “treasures” that I see as important elements of the history of our family.  Their arguably more scriptural perspective prompts me to contemplate how I might direct my heart more faithfully in sharing the worldly possessions—from financial assets to antique china—with which I have been endowed.  This is especially true during the season of stewardship.  

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it another way:  “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Creator, thank you for the many ways you care for us as we navigate this physical world.  We ask for your direction in turning our hearts toward heaven.  Guide us in using and sharing the worldly possessions for which we are responsible in ways that bring glory to you and your light to those we encounter.  Amen 

Barry and Alinda Stelk (reprinted from 2017)

Psalm 121 Promise

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:8 

The Month of May

The month of May is a long one. It stretches 31 days but oh how wonderful it is. The sun shines, the rains come and the world we have been given wakes to late spring and the coming of warmth and beauty. Birthdays, graduations, marathons, and at the end of the month memories of the past for Memorial Day. Yes, it does stretch out and we get very busy in our own happy way. We plant flowers, pull rhubarb, greet neighbors and give up monthly meetings until fall. 

But as I write this, I am reminded of a hymn we sang when I was young that had a stanza that went “In the rustling grass, I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere”. The ground on which we walk, the water that we carelessly use but also so badly need for sustaining life, the trees that blow in the wind, the birds that sing are all a gift from God. Even the storms remind us that we are not really in charge. His land we must tend, and while tending, make time to stop and listen so we can hear him pass and hear him speak.  Amen. 

Carolyn F Olsen (reprinted from May 2024)

Words from Proverbs 16

The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 

Happy Anniversary, Eastridge Presbyterian Church (Some Eastridge History)

 

In 1953, a seed was planted. That seed fell on good soil and was heard and understood (Matthew 13:1- 23). Eastridge Presbyterian Church has produced significant crops in worship, education, mission, fellowship, and music.

Eastridge began with six families gathered for worship at Holmes Elementary School in May 1953. Worship has taken on a special meaning during Lent and Advent, with traditions including a children's palm processional on Palm Sunday, communion on Maundy Thursday, a Good Friday service, an Easter sunrise service, and Christmas Eve candlelight services.

Eastridge has long made a commitment to nourish outside the church through its mission efforts. During the 1960's, family nights combined food, fellowship and education. Summer work camps for youth also began in the 1960's. The food pantry, which began in a basement closet, expanded to require a separate building. Today, our outreach includes service and funding to numerous organizations.

The house that is Eastridge was built on rock in 1953 (Matthew 7:24-27). The building that houses the sanctuary and fellowship hall was dedicated in November 1956, and the education unit was added in 1960. The lounge was built in 1976, and the sanctuary was expanded and a balcony added in 1987. In 2008 the welcome center and the alteration of the chancel were completed in the sanctuary. Over the past 20 years other improvements have been made to the property.

Happy anniversary, Eastridge Presbyterian Church! (information above taken from historical documents in the office).

Rain

Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.  Zechariah 10:1

May he be like rain falling on a mown field; like showers watering the earth. Psalms 72:6

There is such delight in being able to listen to a gentle spring rain, with only faint grumbles of thunder. The sound of drops pattering on horizontal surfaces and trickling down vertical ones is like a soothing lullaby. Seeing the mistiness making lights waver and bright spring greens shimmer is like enjoying a moving work of art, shifting in the changing cloud light. Birds send out their most joyful songs and seem to chuckle softly to themselves. Puddles reflect the white sky and seem to boil with bubbles as drops bounce into them. The freshness of the air and the smells of the wet earth make everything feel clean and rinsed of dusty weariness.  Spring's growth is nourished just as the soul's thirst for comfort and healing is tended. Memories of other times and places in this hypnotic kind of soft rainfall arise and pull this moment into a thread of continuity.  

Rain has many associations for Christians; in the Bible - and in agricultural states like the one where I live - rain is an important part of the planting and growing seasons. Crops and livestock depend on adequate rain, and ultimately everyone's food supply is tied to it. God provides all this, and it is a testament of his care when the rain falls; it is a gift that feeds all people. 

The rain can be threatening, and floods are a fearful event in Biblical lore. Rain is sometimes symbolic of God's righteousness showering down on the earth.  

But the beneficial rain is inclusive; it falls on everyone and everything. If we choose to shower blessings like this, we share them without exception to all within reach. God is in the water that baptizes us, the water that cleans us and everything we use and touch and see, the water that is a habitat for countless amazing beings, the water that nourishes our food and the trees and plants that give us shade and joy.

The rain I am enjoying at this moment is one of the ways I can experience God's peace that surpasses understanding. This same rain is making someone else feel soggy and chilled, so I have to hope that somehow God's comfort is felt by that person in some way as well. I often work in the evenings, and I am fortunate enough to be home by an open door for this rainfall. Someone else who planned an outdoor event for this evening has had to make a change in plans and isn't feeling as fortunate.  

There is a Jewish prayer recited at the start of the rainy season in Israel. This is an excerpt.  

May He send rain from the heavenly towers,

To soften the earth with its crystal showers.

You have named water the symbol of Your might,

All that breathes life in its drops to delight. 

O revive those who praise Your powers of rain....

For you are God, who causes the wind to blow 

and the rain to fall; 

for a blessing and not for a curse - Amen!

For life, and not for death - Amen!

For plenty, and not for scarcity - Amen!

Mollie Manner (reprinted from 2018)

Sing and Give Thanks

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Psalm 30:4 

O sing unto the LORD a new song, for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. Psalm 98:1

Henry M Morris, PhD states in “Days of Praise”: When we remember God’s holiness, we then remember how the mighty seraphim in the heavenly temple are continually crying out “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 6:3) 

Mr. Morris continues on to state, “He (God) has not only forgiven our sins, saved our souls, and promised us eternal life, but He also daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Psalm 68:19. “What can we do except to perpetually “sing unto the LORD…and give thanks,” as David exhorts us in our text for today.  

And we can be thankful and sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, and give thanks to God, our Lord and Savior.  

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying in our place on the cross for our sins. You give us the beautiful sunrise, the beautiful grain which I experienced as a child on the farm in Phelps County, Nebraska. We can also thank you for the grass, our families, our friends and neighbors. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Sandra Hilsabeck

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 

The Sojourner

And you shall make a response before the Lord your God, A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. Deuteronomy 26:5  

And you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. Deuteronomy 26: 11 

I recently read several devotions related to the Jewish festival of the First Fruits. I decided to look up the word sojourner which means a person who resides temporarily in a land that is not their own - a foreigner, exile, alien. I have met the definition of a sojourner several times in my life. The first was a summer long mission trip with 23 other college students from around the country to Troy, NY. There I experienced a historic community with characters like Uncle Sam and Emma Willard, very limited green space for children to play and lots of concrete with row houses, being fed by the community churches (lots of pasta), and main line denominational churches closing or uniting with other churches related to changing communities and populations.

My second sojourn was to my first social work job in Milwaukee. For the first time I experienced distinctly divided neighborhoods related to race, chronic multigenerational poverty, ghettos, and the frustration of trying to meet the needs of many with very limited resources.

My third was moving from my hometown in Iowa to Nebraska. You would think that living in a neighboring state would be about the same, but I was so wrong. Of course, there was Husker mania - a real eye opener when the football team won or lost. Then there was the difference in the unicameral and politics, and visiting the sandhills - a desert in the middle of the state - became a priceless experience.

Being a sojourner in these places made me appreciate going home to a place that was welcoming and familiar. Where I knew old friends and family and knew which streets to drive on to get from here and there. The one constant I experienced in all the above was being with other Christians and church families and knowing that although I am a sojourner in this world, Jesus promises a forever home in heaven where I am no longer a sojourner.

Prayer: Thank you, Heavenly Father, for being with us as we wander through our lives here on earth. Thank you for all the blessings you have given to us, especially the gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen

Nancy Hall

Words from Corinthians

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 

Words from Isaiah

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11