Seeing Red!

Yes friends, it's Reformation week! While most of my friends get excited at the end of October because it's Halloween time, I'm the dork that gets excited because the church gets decked out in red and I get to hear about Martin Luther. Again, I'm fully aware that I'm a nerd but I don't really care! :)

And today topped off an amazing weekend! I was shown beyond a doubt that God is present and at work in this congregation in a big way! Last night we had a leadership dinner for the capital campaign that we're starting at the church. It was around 200 leaders in the church gathered and dressed up for dinner, drinks, special speakers, and a chance to be the first ones to put forward our pledges for the new sanctuary and youth space. And it was incredible! The NC bishop spoke which was very enjoyable but the kicker was a family from the congregation. This family had been through the wringer since I've gotten here. The mother found out by chance and very fortunately, that she had a fairly large brain tumor. They operated on it and the sugery was 100% successful and she is making a great recovery. And she and her husband spoke about the experience and what God had been doing in their lives through the church and it was so moving, I can't even explain it. She got up there to speak and God was speaking through her, there was no doubt. It was incredibly moving and even after I had left the event, I spent there in awe of what God is doing in the world, through the church as a whole.

And today was great, it was Lutheran, and it was perfect for a Lutheran geek like me. I love hearing the Romans verse 1:16-17: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." We live by faith, we have life by faith, we are made right with God and can stand blameless before him, without the stain of sin because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. I can never hear that enough! I don't buy my way into heaven by what I can do but by what Jesus has done.

Okay, I'm finished with that for this post but I can't help myself. It's one of those weeks where I have seen and felt and experienced God in so many ways that my heart and soul are overflowing. God is at work in this world still and when I may start to doubt this, I can look back on weekends like this and find hope, faith, and love.

Mute Math!

Life is full of surprises and for that I'm grateful. I've been lucky enough in that most of the surprises in my life have been good. This was a week of fun surprises. The pictures are from a concert that I went to on a whim with my new friend. I trusted his music tastes enough to put the money down for a ticket. And after the first minute of the first song of the band, Mute Math, I told him I was totally sold. They were awesome! They have a great message behind the lyrics and the show was amazing!!! The energy was super high and I couldn't help but jump around a little, even on my semi-twisted ankle (I bit it on a trail run this past weekend). They put on a great show and heck, the lead singer plays a keytar! You can't beat that! So, even though I'm still partially deaf out of my left ear, it was totally worth it.

Next concert = Derek Webb!

"Charlotte"

There's this song out there called "Boston" by the band Augustana and I'm surprised at how easily I can tweak the lyrics of the bridge to make it fit to my life currently.

She said I think I'll go to Charlotte
I think I'll start a new life
I think I'll start it over
Where no one knows my name
I'll get out of Minnesota
I'm tired of the weather
I think I'll get a lover and fly em out to Spain...
I think I'll go to Charlotte
I think that I'm just tired
I think I need a new town
To leave this all behind
I think I need a sunrise
I'm tired of the sunset
I hear it's nice in the Winter
No snow might be nice
Charlotte
Where no one knows my name

Okay, so the line about the "lover" and "Spain" I couldn't really figure out anything to do with but it just reminds me that this year is a new beginning in a way for me. Granted, I do miss everyone back in MN. It was just the perfect timing for a change and refreshing to be someplace completely new and unfamiliar. I also thought it was funny that Boston and California swapped our perfectly with Charlotte and Minnesota. :)

Free Hugs?

It sounds a little bit weird at first if you haven't heard of the youtube video phenomenon. Why would you need to hand out free hugs? Are people getting that desperate? Is there even a need for this? And here's the deal, there is a great need for this today! I think we've all forgotten about the incredible healing power of touch. We've all become a bit paranoid and cynical and if we see a guy in the street holding up a "FREE HUGS" sign, a lot of us might be a bit wary and question his motives. But maybe that's a part of the problem. This lack of trust and faith in the goodness of others, even with the people we know, has disconnected us from people in general. I can't remember the exact statistic but I think it's something like 50% of all Americans don't have one person they can talk to. And another 25% only have one person they can really talk to. So, even though we may be a bit scared to admit it, most of us actually need that free hug because we can't find it anywhere else.

Check out this website and see for yourself. www.freehugs.org. There's also an article you can read: http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/free-hugs-conquer-youtube/2006/09/28/1159337257843.html

And here I am, with my overly-independent attitude being reminded that I do need others, that hugs are one of the best things in the world, that there are perfect strangers out there who genuinly care for others, and that I am never alone. Pass the word and maybe even a free hug while you're at it. *HUG*

For the record, yesterday at 7:00 a.m. in St. Paul, MN it was 30 degrees. In Charlotte at 7:00 a.m. it was 33 degrees. Not too much of a difference. There was even frost on my car (which I refused to scrape off, thank goodness for washer fluid and defrost settings)! Just thought I'd let all of you know that. :)

You Know It's Fall When...

Well, fall is a bit different here. Being down south means that the leaves turn a bit slower than up north. As in, peak season is not going to happen till November in Charlotte as opposed to now in MN. But, it's fall here. The temps are dipping into the mid-40's (which for people here is really cold). I went jacket shopping last week and this nice winter jacket that I wanted (and that was finally on sale) was all sold out because it had only dipped into the 50's last week but that's still cold ot the people here. Anyway, despite all the differences between here and MN (like the snow that many of you got in the cities these past few days), today I was reminded that it is actually fall because my favorite constellation, Orion was up tonight. :) It's good to know some things never change.

One God

So, this past Sunday I preached for my first time at Christ Lutheran for all three services. It was quite the ride and it's hard to believe it came and went so quickly. Was I nervous? Of course!!! However, it's interesting. Nerves are more of problem the days leading up to it all, when I'm running through the sermon, tweaking it, and doing my best to commit it to memory. When the day of comes, I usually start off with the obligatory butterflies but as the time comes closer, I realize there really isn't anything else I can do to prepare other than pray and just leave it up to God. It's the Holy Spirit that ultimately has to do the work. So I usually get to a point where I just have to do it. It's like before I take a big exam for school. I will freak out when I'm studying for it but I usually get to the point right before it where I just want to take the test and get it done and over with because there's nothing more I can do. So, it's kind of the same thing.

I'd write a summary but that might take up too much space and would take me awhile too. I'd suggest going to http://www.christelca.org/templates/cuschristlutheran06/details.asp?id=1380&PID=315372&Style= and listening to it for yourself. The title is "One God with a Holy Name."

One sermon down, many more to go! :)

Comebacks Part III: The End

It's hard to watch your team go from the first picture to the second (photos courtesy of espn.com). The end of the season was one heckuva ride going from being AL Central division champs to being swept in the series. All of this going down in less than a week. To go from pure elation to "what just happened here?" Well, it's not an easy transition.

And despite all that happened in the past couple of weeks, I still stand by the Twins. What a season! And I would argue it is one of the best comebacks ever by a baseball team, whether they advanced in the playoffs or not. Granted yes, I am very biased. We've all heard the stories, 12 1/2 games behind, a sub .500 record, losing key players to injury all throughout the season. And I guess I just find it inspiring that a team everyone had written off was able to come back and prove that they were a force to be reckoned with, that they weren't finished, that they were going to fight till the very last game of the season.

Another thing I love about this team is how young it is. It has potential between Morneau, Mauer, and Liriano, and everyone else, well, we're in a good place to make some waves next season. And I guess that's another thing. There's always another year, another season, another game to be played. And I feel that this time, I don't have to explain the analogies, you can figure them out!

So here's to next year! And also here's to the player that really has embodied what this team is all about this year, Brad Radke, who might not be there for the first time in 12 years! Thanks for an incredible ride and for giving me lots to blog about (and thanks to all of you for putting up with my Twins obsession!).

A Week of Firsts

This has been a big week for me and promises to be even bigger as it progresses. It has been and will be a week of first for me. And they are all good firsts or at least I hope they will be.

This past weekend I went on the first of four high school retreats that I hope I get to participate in. This one was the whitewater rafting retreat. It was my first time really getting to hang out with the youth and I loved it. They are a group of really amazing kids who really care for each other and care about God. We both played and prayed hard and sometimes even combined the two. I got to play paintball with them which was fun. I had a couple of hits and also have two very impressive bruises from direct hits on my arms. I worshipped with them. I led them in worship. I also got to go whitewater rafting for the first time! It was a rush! I loved it! And watching the kids take that experience and using it as a lesson for relying on God was a great connection. I left the weekend exhausted but yet exhilirated. Seeing young people on fire for God, there's nothing quite like it.

This week brings a different first. It's my first sermon for the big congregation, a total of 1000 people worshipping throughout all of Sunday. And to top it off, I'm the closer for the series. I'm the one who has to bring it all home. And to add to the list of firsts, I'm preaching on the First and Second Commandment. Whew! It's my first time preaching in a sermon series. The first time I get to use multi-media with the sermon. The first time I have to write worship notes to go along with a sermon.

And you know, as terrifying as it is, I'm still getting the same rush I felt on the river. Sometimes it's like that splash of cold water that takes your breath away in surprise. Sometimes it's realizing how potentially dangerous and scary this all is. Sometimes it's riding wherever the river takes you and trusting that your guide will lead you through it all. Sometimes it's running up against some pretty nasty rocks and getting a jolt. And you know what, I lived through my first rafting experience so I'm pretty sure I'll live through my first preaching experience here.