hey everybody – we need some large cardboard boxes for this weekend!!! Our “source” for the 30-hour famine kind of fell through this afternoon. Let me know who can do what. (probably need a transport vehicle for p/u and delivery too)

I wanted to share with everyone that we now have a new St. Timothy group for the whole congregation and friends on facebook (fb). We already have 18 members and I hope we add more all the time. I do believe it will be a great way to share information and ideas for our shared ministries; so, if you know someone who is on fb, but not in our group and should be, please send them an invitation to join us. Or if you’re not yet on fb yourself and would like to know more about how to do that, let me know.

Also, the point was made at last week’s meeting that we could do so much more with the site if we had someone (other than the pastor) who could care for it on a regular basis. (I should point out that the church secretary also posts calendar information to the website, something she will continue to do, but we could use someone else for overall site management.) We’ve initiated some steps to see if we kind find someone who feels called in this direction to help out. Please keep this ministry in prayer as we continue to search for a leader.

Blessings and peace.

But there is true phenomena about going away from any organization for an extended period of time, which I experienced in the Marine Corps, in my family life and now for the first time, in my congregational life. Even though I extract myself from the organization, it’s routines and it’s business, they all still go on – day in and day out, week in and week out. So upon my return I have this sense of needing to “hit the ground running” because there is a lot of catching up to do. Most of my first week back was spent doing a lot of “administrative” catching up. Then the snow hit and life shut down for a couple of days. Yesterday I got to make some visits there were way overdue and as they turned out, extremely profound. Those visits, plus some news from each of our two sons, and a few minutes to reconnect at home too, and Monday was gone. Today started with a renewed commitment to doing major sermon preparations, from which I am taking a break to do my other renewed commitment work – write on the blog regularly.

I can tell most of this month will be catch up, but I hope that in God’s time it will all work out. Blessing to all who shall read these words.

Even attempting to write this post today is causing me some anxiety. A part of me says that this discipline is important to the future of the church and the ministry I am involved in, and part of me says that there are other issues that are way more important. Perhaps I am feeling this way in part because I feel the demands on my time at this time of the year are “greater than normal.”

Yea, so where is God in all this? My wife read part of an article to me this morning from the latest Lutheran magazine about renewal and discernment for congregations. I need to go back and finish the article, but I was stirred all day to think about “what is God up to in this place,” and “what is our role?” I think I have a pretty good understanding of the answer to the first question; it’s the second question that is always the tough one.

It’s been a long week and it is only Wednesday; I feel I need to turn my attention to some other issues. I hope to see all of you back here next week. Until then, may our living Lord and Savior, whose birth we are about to celebrate, bless you and keep you.

Those of you who are associated with a Christian community that follows what is called a “liturgical calendar” know that yesterday was the “first Sunday in Advent” – also known as the beginning of a new “church year.” So happy New Year to all! The “season” of Advent is a time of preparation, watching and waiting, with hope and joy, for the coming of our Lord and Savior – Jesus as a baby born in a manger in Bethlehem.

During this season, many Christians take up special devotional practices. At St. Timothy we have provided a number of resources to help individuals and families who wish to do this. One of the main pieces we have made available is the new Book of Faith resource from Augsburg Fortress publishers. At our house, we added that material to our morning devotions, and found it to be very flexible.

Let me wish all of you a most blessed Advent season as we watch and wait for the arrival of baby Jesus!