Thanks from the Nook

It's almost midnight here in our computer nook. Toni and I are sitting in what used to be the "breakfast nook" here at the 1922 parsonage that we are grateful to live in. It's late but we're sort of waiting for each other to be done with what we're doing before we hit the sack.

Speaking of sacks, our son Daniel, along with hundreds or maybe even thousands of others have been sandbagging near the Red River. He's a student at Concordia in Moorhead and most college and high school students in the area have put in long days. A group from Cokato's Minnesota Disaster Relief is up there too.

Our high school junior son Jonathan is coming back tomorrow from a spectacular long weekend at the "International House of Prayer" down in Kansas City. We're looking forward to having him home so he can fill us in on what the Lord has been doing in his life over the past few days.

Naomi, not to be outdone by her brothers, is planning to preach at our church this Sunday by special invitation of the pastor. She participated in "Sankofa" -- a tour of civil rights history and an encounter with the ongoing social movement of the church. She wrote:

We are experiencing some intense things. We are coming face to face with our history...and face to face with OURSELVES. Perhaps that is the most tumultuous part of it all--recognizing how racism is inside of us, whether we like it or not. It is a part of who we are, its perpetrators, its victims and its beneficiaries.

In the gospel for this coming Sunday, Jesus says:

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor." John 12:23-26

I am so thankful that my kids are learning what it is to follow our Lord. I am thankful for this community, and other communities where we have lived, and for the many people who have helped them learn our Lord's love.

I'm also thankful for this night, and for the fact that I can go to sleep now! Peace to all of you! Time for bed!