Faith and Courage

I enjoy studying the book of Exodus. This past week I have been answering the questions from the BSF study guide. In Exodus 2:1-4 I see that Moses’ mother is full of courage and faith. You could define courage as faith in action. Exodus 2:5-9 tells what happens after Moses is placed in the basket. There faith waits to see what will happen. The sister displays remarkable common sense, wisdom, and shrewdness. I think of the verse in Matthew that says we must be wise as serpents. Moses’ sister thinks of asking Pharaoh’s daughter if she should go and fetch a nurse for her brother. What happens can only be God turning a bad situation into good. Moses’ mother is paid wages to nurse and raise her own child! Talking about turning the tables on the devil himself. Then when Moses became a teenager, he is adopted into the family of Pharaoh’s daughter. There the preparation of Moses begins in the enemy’s own camp!

Interview with Pastor Dave Lennander

You and Sandy returned from Berlin in January. How has your adjustment been? How will these changes benefit you as one of the Pastors of Cedarcreek Community Church?

We have adjusted fairly well. The biggest adjustment for me was coming back into Cedarcreek Community Church with a new pastoral role. We had to work out what that role should be and then I have been adjusting to it. The debriefing at Missionary Training International was very helpful to us. We were possibly thinking about being involved in church planting. We realized at MTI that the 3 years in Berlin, our aging and then reestablishing ourselves in Eau Claire had an emotional and mental toll. We understood that at this point in our lives we didn’t have the vision or energy to spearhead a church plant.

How did your time as a missionary change you and Sandy?
We became more aware and skilled at reaching people with the gospel who have had no background or understanding of the Bible. We became more aware of how post-modernism has affected both Christians and non-Christians in the development of their world view. We also became more patient and sharpened in dealing with conflict and in working with an inter cultural team trying to build a church. This greatly broadened my thinking and people skills as a pastor.


You recently returned to Berlin. What was the main purpose of your trip?
I went back to Berlin in May not only to encourage the saints but also meet with people, teach and develop leaders but most of all to be an encouragement to Dieter and Lucy Schade in their transition to living in Berlin and working with Rock Berlin.

You conducted leadership training with the GCLI material. How did this go?
I started going through the GCLI materials with some of the people on the RB Lead Team. There were 7 people who attended these sessions. The best part of the time was the long discussions related to the Word of God. We were able to be refreshed by studying God’s Word together.

What was a highlight of your return to Berlin?
The best thing about my trip was going out to eat and talk with many of the individuals in the church. We enjoyed the 3-4 hour luncheons and dinners that are such a good part of Berlin life..

How is Rock Berlin doing with the leadership change?
Rock Berlin has went through many difficult changes over the last 5 years. The current leadership change is another one and it is difficult. But God is using the pain to deepen individual’s lives and characters. I was encouraged to observe spiritual growth in many of the individuals that I met with since we left 3.5 months ago.

Where do you think Rock Berlin needs to go in the future?
I think the greatest need for the church is for Dieter and John Goering to work together and get used to each other and appreciate each others gifts. They are very complementary to one another. But they need time to get to know each other. If they blend well together, I believe the church will make good progress in the future. The young believers in the church also need to step up and serve the church and their fellow believers. They must see the church is not just a place to receive but to give themselves to others. I think that Dieter is doing a great job under challenging circumstances and that his godly vision and character are showing in process.

Wilderness Family Camp

From June 15 - 21 Kathy and I participated in Evergreens annual Wilderness Family Camp. One of the reasons we participated was the opportunity to get to know some of the younger families of Evergreen. Another reason is that we simply love Minnesota's North Shore. We drove to Grand Marais and took the well known Gunflint Trail until we came to the Christian Wilderness Camp. This camp was bare bones! We had to use outhouses for our toiletry needs and the only shower in camp was ice cold. We had a wonderful time getting to know the other couples and their children. In fact you could say that we had a chance to satisfy our grand parent needs for the week. Two year old Olivia adopted me for the week and I loved it. Kathy led devotions for the women every day and I led devotions for the men. We all shared the work load and had a good time. On different days we hiked along the Superior Trail and let the children play on the beach in Grand Marais. We never sighted any moose but we did find moose droppings and some tracks. The children had a blast.

The day we rented canoes was very windy. We canoed a short but difficult trip down the river to an island. Normally our guide would have taken us far over several portages. But the wind was severe and most of us were not experienced canoeists. We had a picnic lunch and tried to find the best protection from the wind as possible. Some of the children used a canoe as a shield from the wind. Why didn't I think of that? Finally the guide realized that the wind was not going to drop and we headed back. I almost caused our canoe to tip as we were launching it in a heavy wind. God was watching out for us and we did not tip. This was some of the most difficult canoing that I have ever experienced. There were times when I thought we would never make it.

June 19 was our 32nd Anniversary. We went to one of our favorite restaurants on the Gunflint Trail called "Trails End" and enjoyed a good dinner. Then we stopped at a small gift shop named "The Loons Nest" and owned by Dennis & Darlene Short. Dennis was sick at home and recovering from open heart surgery. I can relate to that. Dar said that he was not doing well and I asked if we could take a minute to pray for him. She consented and we all bowed our heads and I led in prayer for Dennis. We have not heard the outcome. We finished this beautiful celebration having evening wine as the sun set over Canada.

On the last day we returned via Highway 61 along the North Shore. There is an Amish store in a small town that we always stop at. They make the best and healthiest sandwiches on the North Shore. It is a favorite stopping place for vacationers and tourists. We arrived home exhausted and weary but boy did we have a great time!

Intimacy at the Dinner Table

Although the table is a place for intimacy, we all know how easily it can become a place of distance, hostility, and even hatred. Precisely because the table is meant to be an intimate place, it easily becomes the place we experience the absence of intimacy. The table reveals the tensions among us. When husband and wife don't talk to each other, when a child refuses to eat, when brothers and sisters bicker, when there are tense silences, then the table becomes hell, the place we least want to be.

The table is the barometer of family and community life. Let's do everything possible to make the table the place to celebrate intimacy. - Henri Nouwen

A Prayer of Blessing for all Mothers

A Prayer of Blessing for Mother

By

Daniel Porter

May God bless you from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet …

May the choices your child makes be a crown to your head and bring joy to your heart.

May God bless your mind with clarity to avoid evil and choose what is good. May you find activities and friends for your child that are excellent and honorable.

May God bless your eyes with warmth to see a bright future for your child. May you rejoice in the beauty of what God has given you and His eternal love for you.

May God bless your nose with the smell of delicious meals that provide the nourishment for your child to grow healthy and strong.

May God bless your lips to speak encouragement and correction to guide your child through life.

May God bless your ears to join your child in laughter and comfort with gentleness.

May God bless your neck with elegance and grace to teach your child culture and virtue.

May God bless your shoulders with strength and determination to provide and protect through the seasons of life.

May God bless your hands with diligence and abundance.

May God bless your back to stand straight for the truth and to bend to help those in need.

May God give you a wise and discerning heart that abounds with love, courage and compassion.

May God bless your legs with endurance. May you feel God’s presence with you throughout your days.

May God bless your feet that you may bring peace wherever you go.

May God bless the road beneath your feet. May your paths lead to righteousness and blessing for you, your family and friends, for generations to come.

May God bless you from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.

Vacation in Colorado

Kathy was homesick to see her grandchildren. So off to Colorado we flew. Grace met us at the airport. It is always a joy to see Grace. Steven took the day off just to grill us some special steaks. They were tasty, juicy, and yummy! No going out for steak when Steven is around. Thanks Steven. We enjoyed going to Cherry Creek State Park and taking Rosco for walks. Who is Rosco? Grace's Rottwieler disguised as a cuddling Teddy Bear! There is no meanness in this dog! On Wednesday we met Sara and the kids at Canyon State Park. Our grandchildren were more excited to see Rosco than us! They jumped out of the car, yelling Rosco, Rosco and completely ignoring Opa & Oma. The kids enjoyed jumping from rock to rock at the park!

Next we visited Jeremy, Sara, and our grandkids. What a great time! One of my highlights was getting Charlie up from bed and getting all of those precious cuddles. We went hiking at two nature parks and I was able to see some birds and add to my life list. I was surprised to see how much the kids enjoyed hiking. We met Sara's friend, Chris, who was a fountain of nature lore. Chris showed us the Pasque flower which had just bloomed. It was named for the Passover.

Kathy helped Jeremy come up with some landscaping ideas and together they spent a few hours shopping at Lowes. They dug in the garden and Jeremy also braced his fence which is subject to a constant west wind. I was able to cook one of my favorite southern dishes called Okra & Tomatoes. We also got to watch Cassidey take swimming lessons. And of course there is the Saturday night baby sitting so that Sara and Jeremy can go out on a much needed date! We were definitely glad to put the kids into bed that evening!

This was our first visit where the children did not need time to warm up to us. That was memorable.

Henry Nouwen

"When we enter into solitude to be with God alone, we quickly discover how dependent we are. Without the many distractions of our daily lives, we feel anxious and tense. When nobody speaks to us, calls on us, or needs our help, we start feeling like nobodies. Then we begin wondering whether we are useful, valuable, and significant. Our tendency is to leave this fearful solitude quickly and get busy again to reassure ourselves that we are "somebodies." But that is a temptation, because what makes us somebodies is not other people's responses to us but God's eternal love for us.

To claim the truth of ourselves we have to cling to our God in solitude as to the One who makes us who we are."