Checking In with God

This past Sunday was a wonderful time of fellowship and mutual support for our "Faithful Village" parenting group. The kids played, the adults talked, everybody had pizza, and near as I can tell, we all had a pretty good time. It was great, in a way, just to "check in" with others facing similar struggles, and know that Laura and I are not alone, and we're not crazy--others are facing challenges too!

As the kids get back into their routine of school, it's also a good time to get back into my own routines. I'm trying to get a few minutes on the elliptical several times a week, get a more consistent bedtime (notice the active word is "try!"), but one thing that I'm happy to say has been a constant over the summer--when it hasn't always been--is time to "check in" with God through daily Bible reading. It helps give me themes to think about, a rhythm to live by, questions to ask, and gets my ears open for what God may have to say to me in this new day.

There are a bunch of really good ways to get into a daily routine, and maybe readers have others to share with me. But here are a couple of good resources to help get on a daily routine of Bible reading.

Moravian Daily Texts.  This is the resource I'm using currently. The Moravian Church has been distributing a short list of daily Bible readings every year since 1731!!! I subscribe by email (it comes in at 5 EST each morning), but you can also get a printed book with all the texts for the year in it. It's pretty basic stuff--a psalm, a lesson from the Hebrew Bible, and a lesson from the Gospels. Rather than trying to connect with a theme or a season, these texts basically walk you through the Bible in small chunks, one after another. Not every verse will speak to me every day, but usually between the three, one will grab my attention.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Daily Lectionary.  One cool thing about our "new" hymnal (which is getting ready to celebrate its ten-year anniversary!) is that in the back of the book is a three-year lectionary of daily readings for either private devotions or for prayer with others. (If you have the book, it starts on p. 1121). The advantage of looking at these readings is they tie into the texts for worship in Sundays--Monday through Wednesday tie back to the previous Sunday, Thursday through Saturday look forward to the upcoming Sunday. One small disadvantage is it's a trick getting started, because you have to know what lectionary year we are in (right now until November we're in Year "C") and the book refers you to another section for Sunday readings. But it's a great resource if you're looking to connect your "Sunday life" to the rest of the week.

Lutheran Study Bible: Year-Long Bible Reading Plan.  What's cool about the LSB is that it provides not one, but three Bible reading plans that you can do in one year. They do not cover all of scripture, but they do give you something to think about every single day. There's a "challenge" track (about 3 chapters per day), a "survey" track (10-20 verses) or a "sampler" track (just a few verses). You can start and end at any time, because it is not connected to the seasons. An important piece of advice I'd give is don't feel the need to ingest "mass quantities" of scripture every day if it makes it harder to stick with and really get something from. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that, in the right frame of mind, you can do a Bible study on just one word!

I guess that gets me to the most important point about "checking in" with God: the best plan for you is not necessarily the one the covers the most ground or manages to say exactly what you need to hear every day: the best plan for you is the one you can actually get in the habit of doing. Research suggests that if you get into doing something every day for 21 days, it can form a lasting habit. Christians have known that for almost 2,000 years--notice the 40 days of Lent, and the roughly 25 days of Advent! Just like with dieting or exercising, lofty goals work for some, but for most of us, it's getting into a routine that we can stick with long-term that will make a difference.

Just a note: another thing that can help us stay on track is accountability with others. If you're thinking about starting a devotional routine, maybe tell a close friend and invite them along for the journey. You don't necessarily have to be doing the same thing, but some way of checking in with each other periodically, and knowing that check-in is coming, may help you stay on the ball. I am part of a discipleship group that has its own Facebook group. We are invited to post on the page some brief thoughts from our daily reading. I plan to start transferring my daily thoughts to a blog post which I'll then share publicly. That way, I can be accountable to you all, and maybe remind you if you have decided to start a routine!

I hope this has been a helpful "check in" about "checking in" with God. Check on!
Pr. Tim

5 ways to Share the Good News...Digitally!

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’" Acts 1:8

As our summer habits become autumn habits, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on one of our habits as Christians...sharing Good News.

The Good News (or the "Gospel"), has a pretty simple definition. Paul writes, it is "the power of God to save everyone who has faith." (Romans 1:16) When we hear about everything God has done for us, especially through Jesus, we can trust that whatever happens, God is in control, and God loves us, no matter what. Nothing we say or do can change that.

But in a multicultural society, where we know not everyone believes the same thing, it's intimidating to "share" this Good News with others, even if it's made a big difference in our own lives. We worry about being seen as judgmental or narrow-minded. We worry we'll offend someone, or lose a friend. I know I do. A few years ago, I baptized Maggie's best friend, who lives just up the street from us, and I wish I could say it was based on our taking the initiative, but we had known her family for almost a year before they told us they were looking for a church! 

We really do have something special and life-changing in the Good News of Jesus. We're invited to a party of grace and mercy that begins in this life, and extends into eternity! Why would we not want to share that invitation? But we may also have been turned off by Christian "Evangelists"...angry people shouting judgments through bullhorns on a street-corner, or well-meaning folks who make you get up from Saturday morning breakfast to take their tracts. 

I would submit that sharing the Good News--God's saving power in our lives--is a lot easier and less dramatic than you think, especially in a digital age. No door-knocking. No bullhorns. I promise. So, without further ado, Here are 5 ways to Share the Good News...Digitally!

1. Be a Good Online Friend. 
We know that our country, and our world, is increasingly divided along partisan lines. Those of us on social media know the poison gets pumped up a hundredfold online. Friends, coworkers, old acquaintances, may seem like entirely different people online--especially around election season--and it can be disheartening. But as Christians, we're called to be "light for the world" and "salt of the earth." And the first part of doing that is actually showing up in the world. The first step in being a good evangelist is being a good listener. So I want to encourage you: If you're on Facebook or Twitter, stick with it. I know it gets ugly sometimes, but we can make it more beautiful. And as much as you may be tempted, please don't unfriend everyone who disagrees with you, even if they do so in a pretty vulgar manner. You don't have to comment if you don't want to (and often it's not a good idea) but sometimes it can expand your worldview, and it might expand theirs. If it gets really bad, your can hide their posts without them even knowing. But they'll still see yours. Just being yourself online, and letting others see, can be a powerful witness to Christ.

2. Be a whole person. 
I'm laying it out right now: I'm on Facebook...a lot...maybe a tad too much...and I have just one profile. I'm not divided up between pastor, dad, husband, and sci-fi geek. I'm one person, and I have one profile. I know some folks feel the need to separate things out a bit, and that's fine, but I think it's a powerful witness to Jesus in our lives that we be who we are--warts and all--and show the world how we're doing. Christians are not perfect. We mess up. We have crappy days. We get mad. We have opinions, and sometimes those opinions even change. Share what feels comfortable for you, but avoid the temptation to only show your "highlights reel" to others. Be real. 

3. Connect with people from Church. 
You guys. If you are on Facebook, and you have not "liked" Living Grace's page yet...can you please minimize this tab, go on Facebook, and do so right now? Thanks. We do appreciate it. And hopefully, you will appreciate hearing what Living Grace has been up to. And if you are at Living Grace and take a picture or have something to say about an event, email us or share it to our profile! We appreciate your making our page better! But also, I encourage you to connect with other church members on Facebook. I have a few Facebook friends from this congregation, but I'd love to have more! Just send me a friend request! It's a blessing to strengthen these relationships, and be sharers of Good News with each other. Additionally, I have been clued in to a ton of pastoral care issues, where people really did need to hear from me, through what they share on social media. Honestly, my generation rarely even thinks to call our pastors with a joy or a concern. But if it goes up on Facebook, your brothers and sisters can be there for you. 

4. Connect with the wider Church.
Did you know that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America just had an awesome and productive Church-wide Assembly in New Orleans? Did you know Lutherans are currently on the ground in flood-ravaged Louisiana through Lutheran Disaster Response? Did you know Lutherans are making a difference for development across the world through Lutheran World Relief? These are just a few things you can find out about in real time, by liking and following these pages. And branch out from our "Lutheran bubble", and even from our country, too...God's Church is global, and God is doing some great stuff all across the world! We can't share it if we don't know about it!  

5. Check in, check in, check in!
If you have a smart phone, you may be one of those who checks in at your favorite restaurants, bars, community events, baby showers, supermarket openings, etc., etc., etc....so why not "check in" at church? Make it a habit. If you hear a line from a sermon or a song you like, put it in there. Or don't write anything at all. Just click that little button that says you were here, and this is a part of your life. And if Living Grace shares something you like, why not share it too? It makes the church a lot more visible online, and it makes an important part of yourself visible to friends, who might just get curious about it someday.

Thanks for indulging this long-ish post. I encourage you to share it if you like it. It might be useful for more than just our members. The news about God's work really is good, and I hope you'll join me in sharing it, both in person and online! 


  

A Summer of Living God's Grace

What an exciting summer it has been for Living Grace!

Just thought I'd take a few moments to recap for you all the ways God's Grace has been ALIVE among us and in our community this summer.

July 8: Frederick Keys Game!

Over forty Living Grace members and guests descended on Harry Grove stadium to watch our Frederick Keys triumph against the Winston-Salem Dash! Not only was this great fellowship, but as part of the group special, we all got to let out a cheer as our church's name came up on the scoreboard! This was one great way to let our community know Living Grace is a joyful place!

July 11-15: "Surf Shack" Vacation Bible School!

Living Grace partnered with FaithPoint United Methodist Church for a very special week of VBS at the Middle School. Living Grace contributed not only students but teachers and a set-up crew, as together we learned what it means to "catch the wave of God's Amazing Love!" I myself had a ball teaching Bible stories to kids from the community with three very gifted middle-school aged volunteers.

July 18-23: Urbana VFD Carnival Ring-Toss!

Living Grace volunteers once again were front and center to support a great cause at the Urbana Volunteer Fire Department Carnival. Once again, we were able to put our best foot forward with the community, running the ring-toss. By showing our support for the fire fighters and having fun with hundreds of community members, we were able to show that our heart really is in this community, and we believe God is doing great things here!

July 24-30: Group WorkCamp Mission Trip to Prince George, Virginia

Following one of our founding traditions of service in Christ's name, Living Grace sent five young men and three adult volunteers to Prince George, Virginia for a week of service and faith formation. Along with over three hundred Christians of all stripes, we painted, built decks, installed trailer skirting, related and prayed with residents, and made lasting friendships with other volunteers. As a first-timer, I was truly blown away by all that God was doing in and through that group. 

June 30, July 7 & 21, August 4: Urbana Starlight Family Movie Festival!

For the first time ever, Living Grace reached out to our community by partnering with Frederick County Public Libraries to sponsor four outdoor family movie nights this summer. As a sponsor, we were able to set up a booth and hand out hundreds of coloring pages, crayons, and brochures, letting the whole community know about the Good News we proclaim at Living Grace.    

These are just a few highlights of what we've been up to at Living Grace this summer, as we keep on growing disciples through worship, community and service. But we're not stopping here. Stay tuned through our newsletter for what's coming up for the fall at Living Grace. If we haven't seen you in a while, we miss you! We'd love to have you worship with us, and celebrate God's Living Grace!

Peace,

Pr. Tim