Prayers: "First We Have Coffee"

I usually try not to post more than once in the same day (it's inefficient--why post twice when I can post once and then schedule the next post for tomorrow), but this is too good to wait. This one is purely a prayer of thanksgiving.

Over the past year, some of the men at Fron have started getting together about twice a month to help out with projects around the church. (Like, say, putting the air conditioners back in the offices for the summer, which they just did.) They always have coffee first, and then get to the work projects--hence the name, which may or may not be inspired by this book by the same title. They seem to be having a great time and they bring a delightful energy to the place whenever they are around.

When I first arrived here last summer, I noticed that while the women's groups were very active, there weren't a lot of men's group. Then this group came together, and they are making a big step towards filling that vacuum. They are a great bunch of guys and are even willing to share their coffee with their young female pastor, which is awfully generous of them. It seems like a little thing, but I give thanks for them in my prayers on a regular basis.

~Pastor Sarah

Prayers: K.I.C.K. (almost summer edition)

Last Wednesday was the last official week of K.I.C.K., our new after-school program. This afternoon, the kids are still coming to rehearse and perform a show about Jonah. I never get to see what they are doing in the music/drama portion of our afternoons, so I'm really looking forward to it. They are a great bunch of kids and I'm sure they will do a fantastic job.

At the same time, this is a great moment to stop and pray for each of the kids who have been coming. Many of them I will see over the summer at church or at Bible school or even just around town, but I will miss our weekly gatherings.

Prayers are also appreciated by our adult leadership, as we figure out what was good that we want to continue and what we want to work on, and generally focus on how God is calling us to move this ministry forward.

~Pastor Sarah

How to develop a favorite color

As I was walking to the office this morning, wearing my favorite red coat, I thought about how unfortunate it is that most adults no longer claim a favorite color (at least, not that makes any difference). It's a lot of fun having a favorite color, and it's a great way to improve your mood or sustain a good mood. But for some reason (probably because it seems frivolous and unnecessary), most adults don't really have a favorite color--or if they do, they don't admit it. This study on color preferences is kind of fun, but you have to consider the fact that people were actually asked to identify their favorite color, and apparently were not given an option for "uh, not really".

So, just for fun (and in the spirit of enjoyment of God's marvelous creation), here is my three-step plan for developing a favorite color. For this to work, you just have to pick a color that you don't actually dislike. It helps if it's not too terribly rare and if you have at least some clothes that match it (even better if it's a color that actually looks good on you, as that will always make you smile). I have never never found color preference quizzes or personality tests to be particularly helpful, but if you like that kind of thing, go for it. Or, if you like to be contrary, pick one that you absolutely disagree with.

Then, this is what you do:

1. First, practice noticing your favorite color. Whenever you see it and happen to think of it, say to yourself, "hey, that's my favorite color!" It helps if you can smile a little at the same time (maybe you will be smiling at the sheer silliness of this exercise, but that's a start).


2. Then, start making small decisions based on your favorite color. If it doesn't make much difference one way or the other, but one of the options happens to involve your favorite color...you get the point. This works well for things like what color binder to put your report in or which coffee mug to choose.


3. As you get more confident, mention your favorite color in conversation, just once in a while, as it happens to come up. "Oh, you like my earrings? They're my favorite color!" By the time other people start to know what your favorite color is, it will be pretty well established.

By the time you have made your way through all three phases, you will likely have developed a genuine attachment for your new favorite color, and you will have one more reason to smile every day. :)

*Results not guaranteed. I am making this up as I go along.

~Pastor Sarah

May newsletter

Most of the world thinks that Easter is over. The last remains of Easter candy and toys and decorations have been sold (at seventy-five percent off) and now stores are marketing Mother’s Day, or graduation, or Memorial Day. But we know better! Easter Day is not the end of something—it’s the beginning of a whole season, which far surpasses even the forty days of Lent, since Easter is fifty days in length.

The good news about Jesus’ resurrection is too good for just one Sunday! It’s worth telling again, and again, and again. And so our Easter celebrations continue, not just for one day, but for fifty days—not just for one Sunday, but seven Sundays, leading up to the Day of Pentecost. And yes, I do intend to say “Happy Easter” until that time! (Not a surprise to anyone who is following along on the blog.)

Throughout the Easter season, then, we celebrate the presence of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. The focus and direction will be a little different each week, but always the good news will be the same: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

We started the season with our Easter Day gospel from Mark, which ended before Jesus had even made a personal appearance! Yet we still heard the good news: “He has been raised”. We continue by hearing about Jesus’ appearances to his disciples—including my favorite story about Thomas, who ends up believing after all. We hear how Jesus is present in meals shared with his followers, and we experience his presence ourselves as we share Holy Communion. We even hear about his mysterious ascension into heaven, because of which we know that he can be with us always. And finally, the season ends with the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, affirming God’s presence with us, particularly in the community he gathers.

So, in this Easter season, may God’s love and peace continue to be with you, as we continue to proclaim:

Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

~Pastor Sarah

This would be day 18

Of Easter, that is. No, I have not forgotten, although I have been remiss in the blogging department.

On Monday and Tuesday, I was at a meeting in the cities. Some of the other pastors who were there were from northwestern Minnesota or eastern North Dakota, where the flooding, it turns out, is not even remotely over. It was a vivid reminder for me that our prayers and support are still very much needed. At this point, what is needed the most, I think, are prayers for strength and endurance--our brothers and sisters have been dealing with this flooding for a really long time and they are more than ready for it to be over. The Northwestern Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota Synods have resources and information on their respective websites.

P.S. If I am not blogging, the quickest way to get me back is to start leaving comments. It makes me feel guilty and then I post again. No, really.

~Pastor Sarah

Maybe we should just call him "Fred"?

The assigned gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter is always John 20:19-31, the story of the poor fellow we always call "Doubting Thomas", even though he spends as many verses believing as he does doubting (no, really, count them).

I have always liked this story, maybe because it is often thought that Thomas might have been a twin--and if he really was a twin, then he would probably prefer "Doubting Thomas" to "Thomas the Twin", which would be annoying even if it weren't redundant. (Being called "the twin" or "the twins" gets old. Trust me on this.) Did Thomas look just like one of the other disciples (or even Jesus), and so they jokingly called him "the Twin"? Or was he a twin? If so, did he leave his brother or sister at home, or if he had a twin sister, could she have been one of the women who traveled with Jesus? I could imagine how that could lead to some humorous exchanges.

But the real reason I like this story is because Thomas--solid, sensible Thomas, who really gets far too much blame--doesn't get in trouble for doubting. In fact, Jesus meets him right there, doubts and all. This is a good reminder for the second week of Easter: yes, the Easter message is for real people, doubts and all. And Jesus comes to us in our doubts. In fact, doubts often mean that we are getting to know him better! They're how we grow in faith, strangely enough.

Actually, this Sunday is Holy Humor Sunday, so I don't know if I'll be able to work any of this into my sermon. But I'll be thinking about it, quite certainly.

~Pastor Sarah

Random photo time!

I added a little photo slideshow to the sidebar on the right. It includes various shots of the various congregations in CrossWind Parish, all of which are quite lovely. Brownie points to anyone who can identify them all.

I wanted to have a picture over there in the sidebar, but I couldn't think of a really good way to pick which one to choose, so I went with a rotation. However, it's a bit gadget-heavy for my tastes, so please let me know if it gives you any trouble or makes the page difficult to load.

Yes, I realize that these things are now quite common, and most people use them without any worry at all--but I am a bit old school with regards to the internet, and so I believe that it is more important to be accessible than to impress everybody with my supposed technological savvy. However, I am a bit out of practice, so if it doesn't work, I really want to know.

Oh, and Happy Easter! (No, I haven't forgotten. This is day 4, by the way.)

~Pastor Sarah