God sightings--the gifts pastors receive

I've talked about it before, but it is so true that I'll say it again.  Pastors receive amazing gifts from the people who sit in the pews.  They may not be intentional, but they are extremely beautiful.  I don't think they can be planned, they just happen.  In any case, these moments are memorable and I treasure them.


I think about the candlelit faces on Christmas Eve.  When I stand up to give the benediction and look out over all of those faces, sometimes stretching all the way to the back of the narthex, I see beautiful images of the light shining in the darkness, the Word becoming flesh, brothers and sisters created in the image of God.  Simply beautiful.


There are moments at the communion table when time seems to stop and I get a glimpse of God's time.  I see hands stretching out--old hands and young hands--to receive Christ's body.  I see our youngest ones beginning to understand that they have a place at God's table, that God's love is for all of us, that all are really, truly welcome.  I can't put a value on these moments.  I can only say they are beautiful.


Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach and preside at Faith Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Ohio.  The pastor told me when we talked earlier in the week that one of their members was celebrating her 95th birthday and that she would be there (probably in the third pew on the right) with her daughters.  I watched as she took communion, with bright pink fingernails, and a daughter on each side and found myself with tears in my eyes.  It was a moment overflowing with love--love of mother for her children, love of children for their mother, the love of God made manifest in a little bit of bread and wine. 


A little later, during the announcements, I watched as a huge smile grew on her face while we sang happy birthday to her.  We were singing to her, but that moment was a gift to me.  A reminder of the beauty of the body of Christ.  A reminder of the way that we are connected in baptism, made brothers and sisters in Christ, that our church is way bigger than the people we know and recognize from regular encounters.  It was a moment I will treasure.  A gift and a grace.


We can't always know when we will catch glimpses of God at work.  All we can do is trust that in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the world, God is at work, all around us.  Sometimes we catch glimpses of the grace and beauty and love in moments when we least expect it and sometimes in the places where we trust so fully in the promise that God will indeed be with us.  Beautiful beyond words and every day blessings.

Living, Daring Confidence

"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times."  --Martin Luther

Over the weekend, over 400 Lutherans from around South Central Wisconsin for the annual synod assembly.  We heard updates about what is going on around the synod and around the church.  We met with colleagues and friends.  We were challenged by Luther Seminary professor Rolf Jacobson to live into the amazing story of God.  Whenever we gather, I am amazed to hear the stories of God on the loose among us--in South Central Wisconsin and in the world.

Thanks to new technologies, the ELCA has been able to put together a video the past several years so that we can see some of the ministries that are happening around our church.  I was moved by the theme of living, daring confidence--the theme for the video and of our assembly.

How have you been moved by a living, daring confidence in God's grace?

God on the loose among us

Sue sent these photos of the ways she's seen God on the loose...

There's a female cardinal that wants to drive out another cardinal she thinks is in our basement window.  I guess we all want to protect what we feel is ours.

In the woods, there is life growing from an old dead stump.  

In the backyards of our neighborhood, there are sandhill cranes that seem to want to move in. They are so majestic and awesome!




Thanks for sharing, Sue!  


How have you seen God on the loose?  
E-mail photos to pastorkirsten(at)gmail(dot)com.

God sightings guest blogger: Hannah T.

Hannah Terpening is a Freshmen UW-Platteville, majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology and emphasis in Forensic Investigation.  She is a member at Peace and has worked on the summer staff, been on two mission trips, and played with the Radical Ringers.

God has been working in many different ways through me in the past few months.

Over Easter I went home to be with my family and celebrate the remembrance of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. And as we were all together on Easter morning waiting for my Mother to finish cooking a delicious ham meal, which we are grateful that we can fill out bellies, we were watching the Master Golf Tournament.

Quick history about my family, My Grandfather, known to us as Bumpa was diagnosed with the number one killing cancer, Lung, in April of 2009. Nine short months, and a vigorous battle with this cancer, he left us on earth to join God in Heaven in July of 2010. My Bumpa was one of my best friends. He taught me how to golf, came to sporting events, and always had a smile no matter what. 

While watching the Masters it made me just think about him, and how he must have the best view on the whole entire golf course. I wish everyday that I could have spent just one more day with him, but then I think about him and passing away and he taught me a valuable lesson. 

I learned that just because you are ill, doesn’t mean that you should stop living your life. There are going to be bumps in the road, but that’s the trick of life. If you can hit a bump and get over it, you will strive at anything you put your mind to, if you hit that bump and get a flat tire it may take sometime to fill that tire up but keep on going because that tire will inflate again and you will be on your way. 

“My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way” Isaiah 51:5.

There are a few things that I remember every night. First, my favorite quote that I recite every night. It gives me the courage I need to let me clear my head and get good nights sleep no matter how good or bad my day was. “There is a God to carry us through the bad times and encourage us through the good!” Last but certainly not the least, God may have taken my Bumpa off this planet but it is because I needed a Guardian angel. Grandfather, Guardian angel, Best friend, Father, Listener, and finally, my hero. As I continue on through college I often have times where I am very busy and forget exactly what I am supposed to be doing with my life. But at that moment when I am feeling over whelmed, I close my eyes, and remember My Bumpa and all the happy times that we have shared together. 

Going to church and praising God our Father makes me feel closer to God, which I have always prayed and hoped for. I knew that God had a plan for all of us and that I would do anything for our Lord and Savior. Even if I do something that he disproves of I know he will always love me and I will go, and do then what he asks of me. Isaiah 6:8 says that “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”” And I said, “Here I am. Send me!" Bumpa was not willing to say goodbye to his family and friends, but he knows that we all miss him, and think of him everyday. I know my Grandma, Nana, really misses him. It has hurt her the worst. Her best friend of 55 years, and husband for 52 years is gone. I know it is good for her to talk about him, and to grief but it is hard to keep it together because we all miss him so dearly. 

Bumpa, you mean the world to me and I know that you are watching my up there high in the heaven clouds. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

God on the Loose Among Us

Your challenge during this Easter season is to watch for signs of new life, resurrection, and God on the loose among us.  If you can capture God's work on your camera screen, send photos my way.  We'd love to share them here and on our Facebook page.

Route 78 Food Pantry Scavenger Hunt
Rick

My favorite spring flower, the trillium
Kirsten

This one needs a bit of explanation.  I was on a bike ride this week and passed this gross, polluted water.  "Yuck," I thought, "God is NOT working in that."  But then I thought some more (I do that a lot when I ride).  "Maybe God is working in that by calling me to work harder to preserve water and keep it clean.  Maybe God is on the loose by calling me to keep an eye out for ways to care for creation."
Kirsten

Our nephew, Rocco, 2 weeks old
Kirsten & Justin

My mom took this assignment to heart this week when she visited a farm owned by some family friends.  Here are her images of God on the loose among us...

Aaron and mama cat

In the dandelions

Lilacs

Maple branch

Violet

Wind turbines

Hens and cat

Pigs

The Egg

God sightings guest blogger: Allie M.

Allie Marshall has been a member of Peace Lutheran Church for most of her life alongside her parents, Paul and Karen, and her brother, David. She grew up involved with Sunday school, Bible school, and various musical groups, and during her college years came on staff at Peace to help with summer programming. She has been on multiple high school mission trips and has a passion for youth. She is still actively involved with JuBELLation Ringers. Allie currently works as Communications Assistant for the International Student Ministry Department of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Madison. She is an InterVarsity alumna from Carthage College, where she graduated in 2011 with degrees in both Religion and Communications. In her free time, she loves running and being outside, playing tennis, reading, writing, painting, and spending time with her family and dogs.

As a writer, or at least someone with a passion for writing, I can appreciate a good book. I love when all of the plot lines come together in the end. I love when the details add up to a surprise ending. I love the character development, the language, and the mystery that comes as you turn page after page. And as a writer, I have always viewed my life from this angle. I see my life as a book that is writing itself day by day…one that has many completed chapters, but many more yet to be written. My life is a story being written by God and revealed to me one page, one line, one word at a time.

Six years ago, I stood at the front of the church at First Presbyterian sharing my testimony of a life-changing moment that I had in Mexico. While my actual testimony was significantly longer, what I shared with the congregation that day was essentially this:

“The first drive through Tijuana was absolutely breathtaking! It is a city amongst the mountains with no natural resources, and therefore blanketed with poverty. It is so heartbreaking, yet beautiful in its humble simplicity. I have never felt a closer and deeper connection with God than I did down in Mexico. In the most deserted, barren place I’ve ever seen, God’s presence was unmistakable. While I was down there, I experienced this sense of ‘rightness’. It was as if I was where God wanted me to be doing just exactly what he wanted me to do. 

One of the mornings that we were here, things just seemed to fall into place in my head and in my heart. I started to pray. I was thinking about all of the things that had influenced my being there in Mexico. I was realizing that I had traveled a long way on my faith journey, but I was unsure of where it was headed. All of a sudden, I felt this longing to devote my life to God – this passion to give Him everything that I could. It was no longer just a feeling of excitement, but rather more of a calling. I realized that all of my struggles had led me to exactly where I was. 

This experience of feeling such a defined sense of purpose set up a new framework for my life. I began seeing things from the other side. In my younger years at the high school, all I could think was “why me?” and now I had realized that it wasn’t about me at all, but rather about what I could do to help make the world more like God originally intended it to be. 

And as I moved forward into the next chapter of my life, I knew that I would face more change than I had ever encountered. There would be new people around me and I would have the opportunity to become anyone that I wanted to be. But I knew then that I only wanted to become myself. God had a purpose for me. And although there would be bumps in the road, I would continually feel this sense of purpose. I was excited to keep traveling along this journey of faith. I couldn’t wait to see what God had in store for my life and who He had in mind for me to meet next. Whatever the future held for me, I knew then that I had to live with purpose because it was not a matter of why I had to go through the struggles that I did, but rather a realization that my struggles had shaped who I was back then.”

This was the first of what I like to think of as “book-end” moments in my life. It marked the start of a significant chapter, taught me lessons that will stay with me forever, and opened up my heart to a whole new world of possibility and uncertainty. It was certainly not the first chapter in the story that has been my life, but it was the beginning of the one with the most significance and meaning, at least so far.

At the time when I gave my testimony, I felt that my future would be easier. I hoped that following in Christ’s footsteps would mean that I wouldn’t have to struggle nearly as much. I envisioned a future full of hope, promise, and happiness.

Now don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of hope, a lot of promise, and a lot of happiness along the way, but there have been a lot of struggles too. I have experienced more pain and heartache in the last six years than I could have ever imagined when I stood at the front of that church so confidently just a few years prior.

I struggled with the normal teenager stuff: rocky friendships, relationships that didn’t go the way I had hoped, conflict with parents, etc. But there was even more going on than that. I experienced significant loss in so many ways. Loss of people, but also loss that had nothing to do with death. It was a very hard time in my life. In fact, even just a few months ago, I recall a phone conversation with a great friend. I asked him “when will this end?...when will the pain go away?...when will bad things stop happening?” and of course, he couldn’t give me an answer, because only God knew those answers…but he comforted me and reassured me that things would get better in time. As we continued talking he asked me about my experiences in Mexico. This conversation with him allowed me to relive that testimony that I had given years back. It gave me a small glimmer of hope and encouraged me that I was on the right path. It reminded me of that wonderful “book-end” moment that I experienced in Tijuana and had me looking forward to the next moment like that…the one that would end this difficult chapter in my life.

As God usually does, He surprised me. No more than a day or two later, that moment came. It was not a day that I would have expected, and it was not in a way that I could have planned for…but it was perfect, because it was on God’s watch…not mine.

I attended a Listening Prayer Workshop at my job…and although I attended hoping to learn a thing or two about prayer, I will admit that I did not have very high hopes for the afternoon. But as the afternoon went on and we spent time listening, learning, and praying, God presented Himself to me through prayer just as He had done in Mexico almost exactly six years ago. Through a series of events, God showed me that He continues to have a plan for my life. He made the path ahead of me clear. It was as if my life were a giant “connect-the-dots” and every struggle in my life had, until that moment, been a singular dot on a piece of paper, but throughout this workshop, God connected the dots and allowed me to see the whole picture. And the picture that it created was beautiful. It no longer felt broken or disjointed or faltering. It no longer felt heavy. I was no longer burdened. The lesson that I had learned six years ago was reconfirmed…I knew that my struggles had all happened for a reason. My heartache had made me stronger. Lost and broken relationships taught me things about myself and about how God works among us. Every little painful thing that I endured had shaped me into the woman that I have become…and throughout this long six-year process of ups and downs, highs and lows, triumphs and trials, God has given me the tools to fulfill the next chapter of His plan for my life.

While I am still in the midst of a cloud of uncertainty about exactly what steps to take next, I feel a definite sense of direction. I have many decisions to make, but know that God is guiding me. 

I again know that I am standing at the beginning of the next chapter. As I look out, all I can see are blank pages. Yet, this time, that does not scare me. I have been through some very hard things…and have not only survived them, but have thrived, have grown as a person and grown closer to God because of them. I have had amazing “book-end” moments that have shown me firsthand how God is at work in my life. And I have seen what amazing things are possible when I surrender control over to Him. Yes, as a writer, that can be hard. It is easy to envision the fairy-tale ending. It is easy to dream up what the next chapter might hold. It is easy to want to write my own story. But the truth is that it isn’t up to me to write my own story…it isn’t even up to me to write the next sentence. The only thing I can do is listen to God and give Him the time and space to write the story that He has planned for me. And I know that the next chapters of that story will be even more beautiful, more surprising, and more perfect than anything I could ever write for myself.

God on the loose among us...

My mom just sent me a WHOLE bunch of pictures of how she saw God on the loose on a visit to a family friend's farm today.  How have you seen God on the loose lately?  Send photos to pastorkirsten(at)gmail(dot)com.  Photos will be posted on Friday here and on the Facebook page.

Maybe you've seen God at work in creation?  Or in your kids or grandkids?  Or at work?  Or school?

God on the Loose Among Us

"I believe God created me and all that exists."  Remember that little gem from the Small Catechism way back in your confirmation days?  As Christians, we believe that God is working in all kinds of marvelous ways in, through, and around us.  We can't always capture these moments, but sometimes we can.  How have you seen God at work in, through, and around you?  If you can capture it on your camera screen, send photos my way and we'll post them here and on the Facebook page.  It's a fun way to observe new life, the wonder of creation, and the beauty of the image of God as seen in others.

Spotted in the woods on the youth turkey hunt
Submitted by Rick Treadwell

God created...
Submitted by Turi Fryer

Easter morning sunrise
Submitted by Pastor Kirsten Fryer

God sightings guest blogger: Kathy V.

Kathy was born the oldest of eight children.  She and her husband, Darrell, met when they were students at UW-Stevens Point and married in 1973.  They are looking forward to being grandparents for the first time in May. Their son, Erik, and his wife, Lori, live in Chicago. Their oldest son, Bryan, moved from Arizona to Ohio and they enjoy seeing him more often.  Kathy's mother died at 50 years of age of cancer and the outpouring of sympathy and caring of neighbors and friends has made an impact on Kathy's life.  She was a stay-at-home mom for years, which she says was "the best job in the world."  Retired from the library, Kathy enjoys working in her flowerbeds while Darrell grows vegetables.  She enjoys visiting with neighbors and having coffee with friends (some since Bryan was in preschool).  She feels that many hands make less work ….  any job can get done in a shorter time if everyone pitches in to help.   

Kathy's Reflections on Easter/Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year.  I love to get out and dig in the dirt and be in my flowerbeds.  

Just a few days ago I was outside thinking of reflections on Easter/spring as I was picking leaves off the plants since returning from vacation in Texas.  The plants have shot up so much and crocus, squills, daffodils and now hyacinths are blooming.  Usually this part of March is rather dreary and drab outside, the snow is dirty looking and we have some snow left.  It reminds me of Lent and how it is a somber time, a time to contemplate and think.  As the plants nudge out of the ground I think about how growth happens in our lives too.  I REALLY LIKE the idea of ADDING something versus giving up something for Lent.  I was brought up Catholic and we would not eat meat on Fridays, give up chocolate, etc. for Lent but the idea of ADDING SOMETHING is so positive and has so much more meaning to me.  I LOVE being a Lutheran and the great concept that we are saved by grace.  I just do not see God giving out “brownie points”.  Our God is compassionate and we can start with a new slate each day.  He saves us and not our works.  He forgives us when we stumble along the way.  God nurtures us through His word and the people around us as we nurture our plants and gardens by feeding them and weeding.  Flowers have a new slate each year too…frost may nip the buds one year but the next the plant blooms wonderfully.

God brightens our world and opens up so much for us to enjoy each day as a new day arises.  Just as the many different flowers and colors and hues of flowers brighten our days, God too is always there for us and His love has no limit.  As I was picking leaves off by hand in the potentilla bushes, I also took the dead wood out, pruning would do this too.  This reminded me of Lent and the time of renewal in our lives.  The new growth I see popping out all over as the trees bud out now too with their emergence and as more plants rise up to the surface, I think of the resurrection and the light and the promise of all that God has to offer in our life.  

Soon we will be singing joyous songs with Easter’s approach.  As Pastor Karen mentioned at a Lenten Service how she notes the different emotions and tone of the songs being practiced by the choir….they are changing from being solemn and sad to energetic and joyful.   THANKS BE TO GOD.

Pastor Doug talked in a sermon of how God nudges us in the right direction and how we continue to fail and He picks us up again and again.  It is human nature to do this.  There are times when I might do something for someone out of the blue and not be sure what made me think of doing whatever I did.  Perhaps it was God nudging me?

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

The cry of Christians the world over today as we celebrate the victory of life over death, the empty tomb, the risen Christ.  Today is the day when we remember most vividly God's promise of life, for each and every single one of us.

I decided before Lent that I was going to try to keep an eye out for signs of new life around me as part of my Lenten discipline.  Little did I know at that time that it would be one of the warmest and earliest springs on record, in both Wisconsin and Ohio.  As I kept watch for signs of life, I saw beautiful flowers and budding trees.  I saw birds and even caught some chickens that had escaped from their coop on a bright sunny day.  But the greatest gift of new life came on Good Friday with the birth of our nephew.  He is a wonderful reminder of life in the midst of death, of the promise of new life, and the miracle of new life.

As I've been pondering all of this new life, the thing that comes to mind for me is that, for Jesus, it's all about the body.  The Good Friday reading ends with the care of Jesus' body--they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with spices in linen cloths, according to the burial customs of the Jews (John 19:40).  Today, we hear of the empty tomb and the first appearance of the resurrected Christ.  And in the weeks to come, we'll hear the stories of Thomas and the breakfast on the beach and the promise of the Spirit with us, empowering us to be the body of Christ at work in the world.  It's all about the body--Christ's body, died and resurrected.  Christ's body--Christ's people--at work in the world.

It's pretty amazing, this promise of new life, isn't it?  It is all around us.  We see it perhaps most profoundly in this season of spring, but if we look closely, don't we see it every day?  In the sunrise and in mended relationships and in God's promise that life is victorious over death.  It's not always easy to see.  Darkness and death, violence, hunger, oppression; they all want us to think they get the final say.  But keep looking.  Today tells us that life is victorious.  God's promise of life will prevail.  Today is not the only day we see resurrection, though it is the day we celebrate it in the grandest way, with shouts of Alleluia, with flowers, and bells and trumpet sounds.  Keep watch tomorrow and the next day.  God's promise of life might be just as amazing then.  Because it is for every single day.  New life. For you and for me.

 Alleluia!  Christ is risen.  Christ is risen indeed.  Alleluia!




This video is a collection of some of the photos I took during this Lenten season.  The music is "Come and See" by Dakota Road, used by permission.  Enjoy!

A prayer for Easter
O God, you are the creator of the world, the liberator of your people, and the wisdom of the earth.  By the resurrection of your Son free us from our fears, restore us in your image, and ignite us with your light, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed!  Alleluia!









[Prayer for Vigil of Easter from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress, 2006]

God sightings guest blogger: Rick

Today's guest blogger is Rick T. Rick and his wife, Rhonda, have been members at Peace for several years and have three children in 8th, 6th, and 4th grade. Rick has served as a leader for Route 56 and Route 78 for the past 3 years and has been on the Middle School Mission Trip twice. 

Where do you see God at work?  Sounds like a simple question but why is it so hard to answer?   The obvious answer is He is present everywhere around us.  But why can’t we see?  Why are we pressed to come up with examples?

These are questions I have been asking myself over the past few years.  At times answers come easy and at other times I am at a loss.  So I began challenging myself, especially during difficult times to remind myself of God’s presence among us.

I have had the privilege to be a small group leader for  5-8 graders in Route 56 and Route 78 for the past few years.  To watch these kids grow in their Faith lives is nothing short of astounding.  Day to day experiences, service projects and Mission Trips all show God is at work in profound ways with this group.  

When I asked the question to my Route 78 students at the start of the year they too struggled to provide answers.  What I think we have discovered is that God is so present in our lives that sometimes we begin to take his presence for granted.  I do not say this as a negative, the Holy Spirit has become ingrained in each of these kids there is no doubt.

Mission Trip experiences have been a huge source of answers to the question.  Without exception anyone who has participated in the Middle School Mission Trips for the past 2 years has commented that they have seen God at work at Mary’s Place.

 The service these kids quietly do and the connections they make cannot be put in to words.  Each participant will respond with the name or names of those they connected with at Mary’s Place.  They describe the interaction they had with that someone, perhaps playing a game of basketball, playing tag, doing crafts or reading to some of the young residents.  But you can see in their eyes the presence of the Holy Spirit as they speak. 

Moments captured in the hearts and minds of those who participated.  A young boy living at Mary’s Place began our visit two years ago being very shy.  He was engaged by some of our kids.   Soon he and his older brother were laughing and playing with the group.  Toward the end of the visit he appeared in a playroom for younger kids.  He asked Pastor Kirsten and I “Where’s my brother?”  Neither of us had seen his brother for a while and suggested he may have gone back to their room.   He turned and while looking at one of our kids his face beamed.  He pointed at the young man from Peace and said “That’s my Brother!”   A moment that moves me to this day!

Another Mission Trip highlight was packaging meals at Feed My Starving Children.  From a 2 hour shift worked by our kids and other volunteers enough meals were packed to feed 40 children for a year.  Each of our youths connecting, forming relationships, memories and experiences.  God is at work in them and through them!   

Losses touched many in our Route 78 group earlier this year.  The support the kids gave each other was well beyond their years.   During an especially difficult time for one of the kids a group of the kids immediately and spontaneously surrounded the one who was suffering in a group hug.  The wall of support was amazing.  Another amazing experience was just after one of the adult small group leaders experienced the loss of their father.  One of the kids who had been through recent major losses in their life was supporting the adult leader.

You may ask, Okay so where is God during the trying times?  I currently have four friends and acquaintances at various points in their individual battles with cancer.   God is definitely at work in and through each of them.  One beginning their battle demonstrates the will to defeat the illness and surrounds herself with the support of friends.  

Another describes drawing on this same will to survive to the point that Oncology Nurses encouraged her to reach out to other patients and serve as an inspiration to them.  She shares humorous stories about her determination in her recovery from surgeries.  The last friend has been on a long road in his battle with the disease.  We spoke one night of what it was like to be in a place renowned for medical miracles, a place where hope for cures is so prevalent that you can feel the energy in the halls.  We also spoke of acts both large and small of people connected to his family that have supported them in so many ways.  He thanked me at the end of the conversation.  I told him that I thought he helped me through our conversation more than I had him.   

A weekly reminder of God at work among us is in worship at Peace.  Whether it is the watching the banter of young siblings, the families gathered, senior members and single people. Watching the interactions of people of all generations is truly an inspiration.  Each has a unique story, God is at work in and through all of them.

Pause a moment each day.  Replay your day.   Open your heart to God, and become aware of where he shows His presence in your life.  

Where do YOU see God at work?   In you, through you and around you.  

God sightings guest blogger: Abbie E.

Abbie Enlund has been a member at Peace for about 2 years.  She is a seasonal naturalist at the Aldo Leopold Center and shares her love of nature with the students at Peace Preschool.  She and her husband, Chris, have two daughters.   Abbie blogs at www.greeningsamandavery.typepad.com.

I asked Abbie, "How do you see God at work in the world?"  She responded:

He is in the Kids! 

My life is all about kids. There are the kids that I teach in preschool classrooms, kids that I teach at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, kids that I reach through my position with the WI Association for Environmental Education and kids that I work with in hundreds of other ways throughout my life. It doesn’t matter in what way I am getting a kid outside there is always an “ah-hah” moment. A moment where they see something new, find a treasure or accomplish a task they never thought that they could. In that moment I see God at work. I see Him showing these kids the amazing world He has created for us. I see Him building their connection to that world. And I see Him creating a future generation that will live like the stewards He wants us all to be. I believe God wants our kids to see His creation, to know it, understand it and love it so passionately that they protect it in every aspect of their life. 

In those moments when I am taking kids outdoors I see God at work in me. I see him rekindling my own inspiration and love for His world. I know that God gave me the gift of being an environmental educator, of knowing how to connect kids with the outdoors, and when I get a chance to use that gift I feel Him at work in me.  

But my most favorite time to see God at work is in my own girls. The family moments when we are hiking and get a chance to see an eagle or a beautiful view or find coyote scat (yes I am talking poop people!) along a trail. I know that He is building that connection with my own kids. He is bonding them to the land, to His creation, and bonding us together as a family. We create memories along those trails. Memories that will hopefully help us get through any rough times that we may face as a family in the future.  

I see Him whenever I take kids outside! 

Where do you see God most clearly?

God sightings

How have you seen God at work lately?

Share here, on Facebook, or Twitter.

PS Starting next week, there will be a guest blog post on Wednesday.  If you are interested in contributing, please drop me an e-mail and we'll chat!

God sightings

It's your turn to share!

How have you seen God working lately?

Share here, on Facebook, and/or Twitter.

PS Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return...

Ash Wednesday worship is tonight at 7:00 at Peace.

God sightings

It's your turn to share!

How have you seen God working lately?

Share here, on Facebook, and/or Twitter.

God sightings

It's Wednesday, which means it's your turn to share!  

How have you seen God working lately?  

Share here or on the Facebook page or Twitter feed.

God sightings

God works in many ways--through the people around us, through creation, in surprising ways, and in familiar ways.  For the month of February, we're going to try something new on Wednesdays: God sightings.  You get to share your stories and comments about how you've seen God working in your life lately.  Share comments here or on the Facebook page or Twitter feed.  The more stories, the merrier.  The question is the same in all three places--how have you seen God working lately?

We look forward to "hearing" your stories!