Living, Daring Confidence

"Faith, however, is a divine work in us that change us and makes us to be born a new of God. It kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers; it brings with it the Holy Spirit.

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times. This knowledge of and confidence in Gods grace makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all creatures.

And this is the work that the Holy Spirit performs in faith. Because of it, without compulsion, a person is ready and glad to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, out of love and praise to God who has shown him this grace."  Martin Luther

As I live and breath in this body I am minute by minute reminded of how sinful I am and really I minute by minute ignore how sinful I am. I can say "I see my sin" but there are many many sins I choose not to see, worse I deny.

I don't know how many other vocations will reveal your sin to you the way being a parent will. The dying, the humiliation of it. The constant servitude. The demand to stop what I want and give. Give my time, my attention, my care, my love. And how often do I willing give any of these things? How much more often do I give them begrudgingly, or out of guilt or just not at all?

I cling like a nasty spoiled brat to my SELF, my WILL and say NO I will not love you right now. And when we get this honest with ourselves we see the worse part, the anger of it all and the pride. I'm angry that I'm needed, I'm angry that I can't do what I want when I want all day.

But as a child of God, I'm not supposed to be this way right? Why can't I gladly serve and suffer? Questions for better Theologians than I.

What am I supposed to do then?

I think I'm slowly learning the answer to that and the answer humbles and frustrates and relieves all at once. It's all a poor miserable beggar can do, repent and be forgiven, repent and be forgiven, repent and be forgiven.

In that is the faith that Luther speaks of, the "living daring confidence in God's grace". Apart from that we are all doomed.

Lord help us to live confidently in your Grace.

Update on Baby Ephraim

Just wanted to let all here know that Ephraim was hospitalized yesterday with moderate dehydration and more weight loss but we are very pleased with the improvement we are seeing today. After fluids and some potassium, he is not only looking so much better but he is also finally starting to make more "normal" diapers. I'll spare you the details, but just say I've never been more excited about poop in my life!

Thanks be to God for His gifts of doctors, medicine and the love of friends and family. Please continue to pray for Ephraim as we move toward the possibility of taking him back home and figuring out how to keep him on the mend.

Welcome Baby Ephraim

 Announcing my newest blessing, Ephraim Job, born Saturday, October 20th! He's a little peanut, just 18 inches, and weighed 7lb 2oz.

Big brother and sisters are gaga about him, Clara too, though she looks like she couldn't care less. (She thought I was having two babies and keeps looking for "the other one".)

Ephraim will be baptized this Sunday. Praise be to God!

Church Meetings

Emily O. writes:

I don't know about you, but I tend to dread church meetings, typically Voters' Meetings. They loom on the calendar like infrared targets ripe for a sudden and terrible strike. As the day approaches, the tension rises and the pressure increases until I feel like an overfilled balloon. And I don't even personally attend any meetings at church!

While my description of meetings is dramatic, the truth is that church members and pastors are sinners, and whenever sinners get together, they tend to, well, sin. Depending on the church and the dynamics thereof, people exhibit and/or experience volatility when congregating together (I would even venture a guess that there's more fireworks in church meetings than in many other places, and not the kind that make people "oooh" and "aaah" with pleasure). And this is a sad reality of life together as God's people. We get mad, we get frustrated, we say mean and hurtful things. We get quiet and brooding and sullen. We harbor malice. We reject the mercy that God has given us in Christ and so reject our neighbors.

Sometimes anger is righteous. But too often, bitterness reigns. The balance is so difficult to keep, whether you're a layperson who's given decades of service to the church or whether you're a pastor's wife.

But thanks be to Him who saved us--and still saves us--from ourselves. He forgives our biting words, our sarcastic asides, our wrong assumptions and conclusions, our hateful thoughts. And--miracle of miracles--He comes again to meet us in each Divine Service, to serve us perfectly, to grant us forgiveness and to give us peace. I still won't be attending Voters' Meetings anytime soon, but I'm thankful that there's always a Christ-meeting just around the corner. 

Blessed Holy Cross Day

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

In the Cross of Christ I Glory

Listen to tune HERE 

“Merciful God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, was lifted high upon the cross that He might bear the sins of the world and draw all people to Himself. Grant that we who glory in His death for our redemption may faithfully heed His call to bear the cross and follow Him. Amen.”

From Treasury of Daily Prayer for Holy Cross Day

Image Jan Sadeler

Bible Study Invitation

 

BethAnn writes:

Dear Pastors' Wives, 

I would like to extend an invitation for a monthly ladies bible study on biblical mothers. 

There are two different times:

1st evening bible study will be on Sept. 10th at 7:30 p.m. & 1st mid-morning bible study on Sept. 11th at 10:00 a.m. 

The first time we meet will be at Golgotha Lutheran in the Fellowship Hall in Wausa.  

To order a book for the Bible study you can email me at bethannsalinas at rocketmail dot com. The cost of the book is approximately $13. You are still welcome to join us without purchasing a book. You also do not have to make a commitment, but I think you will want to after the first lesson. 

So please join us as we learn, reflect, and study God’s Word together. This will be open to the community as well so invite your friends. I have not lined up caregivers yet so if you know of someone who would like to help please let me know. 

After the first study we will discuss meeting at other places, like Grand Junction in Creighton, The Bloomfield Bakery, & The Wausa Café, etc. 

Other Dates are as followed:  

2012:

Oct. 8^th or 9^th possibly two studies 

Nov. 12^th or 13^th 

Tentative Dec. 10^th or 11^th (we might skip the one study in December due to Advent)

2013:

Jan. 14^th or 15^th possibly two studies,

Feb. 11^th or 12^th  possibly two studies, March 11^th or 12^th,

April 8^th or 9^th, May 13^th or 14^th possibly two studies.

How's Your Mrs. Hyde?

Jenny writes:

I hope to get a discussion going as a follow up to my Mrs. Hyde post.

About a week ago, she reared her ugly head again and that really bothers me.  She is kept contained within my own head, and heart, but I need to give her a voice and this is the safest place to do so. 

The boys have been known to ask me, "Is daddy gone tonight AGAIN?"  And as one sets the table, it's not uncommon for him to ask me, "Will dad be home for supper tonight?"  I don't like hearing those questions.  I know they must be asked, but no matter how many Bible studies the people ask for, or how long they keep Pastor after the closing prayer, doesn't it eventually get to the point where I get to say, "NO MORE!" 

I am not looking for my problems to be solved. They are not terrible. Jon and I have many good discussions, so please, no worries there! I just want to see us share some experiences and ideas. Sound good?

What I'd like to hear about is how you ladies guard your families.  How do you guard your time together?  How do you guard your husbands' day off?  How do you impress upon your husbands the importance of time with family without sounding selfish, keeping in mind the importance of his calling?