GREETINGS HOLY PEOPLE OF GOD,
Thank you for your prayers and many kindnesses as my family grieves the death of my father-in-law, Phil Youngquist and as I navigate a broken arm from a fall while playing pickleball with surgery on Thursday.
I often wonder what God is going to be working through as us and then before my eyes glimpses appear. I get to be in a place of brokenness, literally and God’s glory shines through this community of faith, my family, and the medical community. I am grateful to God.
God’s word comes alive as I experience the sufficiency of God’s grace. For God’s power comes to its fullness in weakness (2 Cor. 12:8-10). I am grateful for all the help that tumbled forth.
I am grateful for Richard Tiegs helping to distribute the communion bread and Kevin Edens with his quick wit makes me laugh and I get to sing the communion hymn. I am grateful for Amita Nelson and Emily Rothfuss who were my faithful and trustworthy VBS classroom helpers and my good neighbors. They helped demonstrate game play, got more bibles, hung pictures on the wall and came up with creative solutions when things fell off the wall. I am grateful for Pastor Judd Larson who filled in for me on Thursday.
I am grateful to Kevin Heckman for the embellishment of my “fall” story becoming a great slam into the kitchen and winning point rather than just a clumsy fall. I am grateful to Lisa Gray who shared not only her own splint experiences but also shared wonderful devices and advice. I am grateful for Peter Calhoun repairing my computer that also took a fall.
I am grateful for former Bishop April Ulring Larson who will graciously help me with the load this Sunday as she preaches God’s good news in Jesus Christ. I am grateful for our youth who will be going to the Created to Be Youth Gathering and will be commissioned this Sunday: Rachel Calhoun, Natalia Flack, Jena Frank, Cooper Gray, Elsa Gray, Neil Houston, Zach Howard, Leslie Kimura, Amita Nelson, Bekah Ode, and Jana Sevenbergen, along with our adult leaders— Pastor Connie, Joel Flack, Amy Frank, Andrea Flack, and Seth Ode.
I am grateful for all who participated in our VBS this week. They are all so amazing and smart. Come to worship and hear about our neighbors. Our kids will sing, collect noisy offerings and we get the opportunity to be neighbors to each other and around the world. Remember to bring food for our food drive.
I am grateful for the larger church and how through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran World Hunger we can help our neighbors in need around the world. In Malawi, women feed kids just like we help with the Lunch Bunch, Free Lunch and our July Food Drive. In Colombia, our neighbors help young people through programs like Project Your Future. Ask our kids what Maria learned to do. In Rwanda, some of Angelique’s fears for her son, Frank were helped thru neighbors providing scholarships.
ELCA World Hunger is celebrating 50 years and we have joined their celebration through our VBS. Our youth will learn more about ELCA World Hunger at the gathering and they will be asked to bring ideas home for us to try. There are so many ways to help our neighbors and I am so grateful that you are my neighbors. I wonder what God will work through us. To God be the glory! The sufficiency of God’s grace is so amazingly abundant!
Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,
Pastor Connie Spitzack
