GROWING in Faith Never Stops…Even If We Think We’re All Grown Up

Some of us have been in church long enough to remember when flannel-graphs were the cutting edge and the arrival of drums in worship meant the end times were probably next Tuesday.

Let’s do a little word association game. I say “EVANGELISM,” you say… ___________

“PANIC!”

For many of us, especially those of us raised in the Lutheran tradition, inviting someone to church feels only slightly less terrifying than doing your taxes while public speaking. In your underwear. While being live-streamed.

Church should feel less like going to a performance and more like a family reunion (minus the mystery Jell-O salad and awkward socks/sandals combination). But here’s the thing: family reunions only work when everyone feels like family.

When people hear the phrase “God spoke to me,” their minds usually jump straight to Moses and the burning bush. Cue the dramatic music. The sandals-off moment. Charlton Heston squinting into the fire while the voice of God booms from the heavens.

Let’s just put it out there. Faith should never feel like a pressure cooker. At PLC, we believe following Jesus is the most serious, life-altering, eternity-shaping thing you’ll ever do. But walking with Him shouldn’t squeeze the joy out of your soul or turn you into a humorless robot quoting Scripture on autopilot. If it does, you might be missing the point.

A while back, someone asked me why we don't often sing the "old favorites" at church anymore. You know the ones…the hymns that echo in your bones and bring back memories of your childhood church or your mom’s voice floating through the kitchen. It was an honest question. It was a good question.

My eldest son David is the head of Saint Mark Lutheran School in Kāneʻohe, Hawaii. A few years ago he conceived of the idea of building a new preschool facility on their property. He presented and sold the idea to the school board, calling it an Early Learning Center.

I was recently reflecting on something we found in my brother’s desk after he passed away. It was a piece of paper where he had penned the words, “The Lord doesn’t always remove the mountain, but He gives us the strength to climb it.” It made me think of my son Jimmy, who has been climbing a very tall “mountain” since December.

Years ago, I was gifted with a shofar (ram’s horn) from former PLC Youth Director Brendon Fairley, whose father has a hobby of finishing them. Just as the trumpets (shofars) in Joshua’s time played a part in the walls of Jericho falling, this particular shofar was designated a “healing shofar.” 

On many occasions in the Gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples after His death and resurrection. Jesus kept His promise to return after three days in the grave. He promised that His death on the cross was not the end. God always keeps His promises.

One of my best friends, Bob F., is a retired Navy Chaplain. He’s quite knowledgeable and an avid historian. Bob writes a devotional each weekday and sends it to a growing list of people who enjoy his mix of historical fact and Biblical wisdom. He shared this devotional on April 28 of this year and I am using it with his permission. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you would like to read more of Bob’s musings, e-mail me and I’ll send you a link where you can sign up. It’s free.

Citizens of Heaven

“For our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” —Philippians 3:20-21

One of the hot button issues facing us today in the United States is the rush to get a Real ID. That is a government-issued card which shows that you are indeed a citizen of the United States.

Graduation season is here! Soon, many seniors will be walking across the stage and receiving the diplomas they have worked so hard to earn. But what about after graduation? What is next? I remember my own graduations and feeling such mixed emotions—being completely ecstatic about these exciting milestones and yet completely petrified because I didn’t know what was coming next.

In my last devotion I looked back to the days of the COVID pandemic. But today I’m looking forward and making plans for a short visit with my daughter and granddaughter from Chicago. And in my planning, I’m remembering a plaque a friend gave me years ago that said: “Man plans; God laughs.”

It’s important to give people a chance. I tend to be understanding and give people the benefit of doubt. However, I’ve always had an intuition about people—a sense or feeling that’s hard to describe, about whether or not I can trust them.

James Gaudi, my grandson and collaborator in writing this devotional is about to graduate from CSU Long Beach with a degree in music. Two of his passions are playing his trumpet and writing musical scores. Last week while on Spring Break we were just hanging out and getting caught up.

As we head into Holy Week toward Resurrection Sunday, I have found myself focusing on how blessed I am to be saved by Christ and the blessed assurance He gives us. This blessed assurance makes me think of my precious grandmother and her spiritual encounter that I had the privilege to witness.

Five years ago we experienced a global pandemic that left millions dead. Today I’m taking time to remember and share with you a devotion I wrote during those dark days. I titled it “The Shelter of His Wings: Running to the Rock” (3/23/2020). I hope you will find the message as relevant to your life today as it was to mine then:

We’d been fighting our twelve-year-old son all week about doing his schoolwork. Taking away his computer resulted in hours-long meltdowns and dysregulation. The more we nagged—as he called it—the more he pushed back.

A few weeks ago Pastor Sean touched on reciprocal ethics during his series of messages on 1 Peter. My takeaway from that particular message was that God’s grace is our greatest blessing. It is through His grace and His grace alone that we are who we are. This means we owe everything we are and everything we have to God and God alone.

I have been struggling a bit with patience lately.  Well, truth be told, maybe more than a bit.  My sweet 16 year old dog, Tigger struggles with “doggie dementia” and his episodes come on in the middle of the night and together we are up for hours at a time.