Faith Lift

NOTE: The audio from this event is available by clicking on this link to the Hosanna! Lutheran Church website. Lots worth listening to there. I highly recommend the presentation by Gemechis Buba.

FAITH LIFT

Lighthouse Conference

At Hosanna! Lutheran Church

9600 163rd Street W

Lakeville, MN 55044

952-435-3332

hosannalc@hosannalc.org

Sunday, June 6, 6:00 p.m. through Tuesday, June 8, 12:00 noon

We have our son's graduation from high school on Sunday, June 6, but on Monday June 7 - 8 I plan to attend this awesome Faith Lifting Event.  Will you come with me?  The worship, the speakers and the workshops will help us move from activities to impact, from developing programs to developing people, from internal focus to external force, from ministry to mission. If you would appreciate a ride or a scholarship, email me or call Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cokato at 320-286-5964.

Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where is Hosanna? Hosanna! Lutheran Church is 25 miles south of downtown Minneapolis; 20 minutes from MSP International Airport, and two minutes from both Caribou and Starbucks. (Click here for detailed driving directions to Hosanna!)
2. Who is hosting Faith Lift? Hosanna! is the site, but the conference is hosted by The Lighthouse Covenant Team – a group of mission-minded, fired-up followers of Jesus Christ. You can read more about the Lighthouse Covenant on Facebook.
3. Is this for Lutherans only? Absolutely not. Faith Lift is for all believers who want to go from pilot light to full ignition, in terms of missions, evangelism, prayer, outreach, and Kingdom. (A special note to Lutherans: Are you staying in the ELCA? We want to support you. Are you thinking about leaving the ELCA? We want to support you. Have you left the ELCA? We want to support you.)
4. Who should come from my church? Pastors, staff members, lay leaders, worship teams, prayer teams, young adults, hockey moms, and insurance salesmen. By the way, even your grandmother would love this gathering.
5. What should I expect?
     • You will come away encouraged and convinced that this is the best time ever to be a missional follower of Jesus Christ.
     • There will be inspirational, powerful worship with personal ministry time available for all.
     • There will be teaching and tools to equip you to lead and succeed in transforming your church from ministry maintenance to missional movement. Really.
     • This could be the best networking event of the year for those who know God is on the move and they don’t want to miss the bus.
     • Good food, laughter, a bookstore/resource center, wireless internet, and really clean restrooms.
6. Who is speaking?
     • Reggie McNeal, Missional Leadership Specialist and Author of Missional Renaissance
     • Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba, Director of African National Ministries, ELCA
     • Rick Bliese, Professor of Missions and President, Luther Seminary
     • David Housholder, Lead Pastor of Robinwood Church
     • Bill Bohline, Lead Pastor of Hosanna!
     • There will be breakout sessions on worship, prayer, missions, new relationships, post-modern culture, and more.
7. What if we have other questions? We have other answers. Please contact the coordinator of the Lighthouse Conference, Mari Strong, maris@hosannalc.org or 952-898-9132.

www.equalsharing.com

Ordinary to Extraordinary

When the LIVING Lord Jesus shows himself, the ordinary becomes amazing!  When Jesus comes every moment is an opportunity for the Lord to make himself known.

This Sunday we have the extraordinary opportunity to hear Pastor Wendy Berthelsen.  Author of several books including The Wise Economy of Your Life and Custom Designed--A Life Worthy of the Call.

Pastor Wendy is co-pastor of Hope Lutheran Church, suburban Dallas, Texas and founder of Call, Inc.  Her ministry is dedicated to helping Christ followers find God's unique call in their individual lives.  

Seeking and knowing God's unique call to you is an amazing, uplifting and joyful experience! As you seek God's call, you will find the depth of life that you seek. In the end, you will answer two of life's most significant questions:

Who Am I?

What Am I To Do?

This Sunday we will hear from Pastor Berthelsen as she preaches at worship.  She will also be available from 10:00 - 10:45 in regard to Call Centered life and ministry.  It will be a good morning.

Incidentally, Toni and I have known Wendy and her husband Joel since Wendy and Toni were "housemates" in the early 1980s.  Our families have gone to family camp together for a long time--becoming known as the "Berthelthors."

More about Pastor Berthelsen:  She was born in St. Paul Minnesota and received a Bachelor of Arts in General Science from Gustavus Adolphus College and a Master of Arts and Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary. She has had nearly twenty years of broad professional ministry experience. Previously, she was a biomedical senior research engineer at Medtronic Inc. for eight years, receiving three U.S. patents. She and her husband Joel have been married for over 25 years and have four children. For several years, she was primarily a stay-at-home mom. Blessed by the Holy Spirit with the gifts of teaching, leadership and administration, Wendy has dedicated many years to teaching people about God’s call.

www.equalsharing.com

May 17-22 Prayer School

After prayer group last night we were talking and the outcome was that I extended an invitation to Pastors Karl Kruse and Bjorn Petersen to lead a week long "Prayer School" called Heart to Heart with God at our church from Monday. May 17 through Friday, May 21 (8:30 - 5:00 p.m.) and then 8:30 to noon on Saturday, May 22.

The main leader is Pastor Bjorn Pedersen.  Pastor Bjorn graduated from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) in 1968 and 1971 from Luther Northwestern Seminary. He lived in the Alexandria, MN area--working there as a banker and as a part time preacher.  On Sunday, April 27, 1986, God gave him a vision of prayer for the worldwide body of Christ, described in scripture as Christ's bride.  For ten years, from the late 1980s until 1997, he served as Pastor of Prayer at Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Arizona.  During that time he provided many prayer growth opportunities, including the College of Prayer with nearly 100 different courses. In 1997 Pastor Bjorn launched Prayer Watch International. Bjorn Pedersen is also the author of the book: “Face to Face with God in Your Church: Establishing a Prayer Ministry” published by Augsburg-Fortress. 

The Heart To Heart With God Prayer School focuses on Waiting on the Lord, Learning to Recognize His Voice, and Obediently Doing What He Says.  In the John 10 scripture for the upcoming Good Shepherd Sunday on April 28, Jesus says "My sheep hear my voice."  This shepherding analogy means that ordinary human beings who trust Jesus are given the ability to hear Jesus and be led by him.  Those who attend this prayer school will learn through experience how hearing God's voice can be a part of our every day lives.

On the Prayer Watch International Website Heart to Heart with God is known as "Prayer School Three" but there is no reason to take the first or second before the third. Here is a further description of what you can expect:

"Heart to Heart with God is designed to develop a deeper and more personal relationship with Jesus. ...Prayer is a relationship between God and His people. The relationship is greatly enhanced by meaningful communication.

"Prayer is meant to be a dialogue. Meaningful prayer needs to include times of listening to what God wants to share. In order to effectively listen, believers need to recognize the voice of God and how He speaks. Heart to Heart with God also trains believers in how to journal what is received during listening prayer times. There exist, however, hindrances to hearing and recognizing God's voice. After God has spoken, He will confirm His message. How does He do that? All of these areas are major courses in Heart to Heart with God. Add to this learning important principles of guidance, recognizing false guidance and knowing God's will."

THE CURRICULUM

• Orientation and Overview
• Preparation: Establishing a Strong Prayer Foundation 
• Prayer Journaling Training and Practice (processing) 
• Applying the Theory to Daily Life and Ministry
• Graduation and Commissioning: Go and do it!

More details will be forthcoming.  Contact our church office at 320-286-5964.

www.equalsharing.com

Sex and Cheese

Last night we had a delightful time at DC United.  DC United is a series of events put on by Dassel-Cokato area youth directors.  Last night's event featured Molly Sandborn, aka "The Cheeseball Chick."

Her message on sex was frank, appropriate, fun and challenging.  She has t-shirts that say "KEEP YOUR PANTS ON!" and talks to youth about not letting anyone mess around "where the sun doesn't shine."

Molly will be speaking on Friday evening April 30 and Saturday May 1 at a retreat for women and girls (age 8 up) at First Baptist Church here in Cokato.  I'd really encourage you to attend!

Friday, April 30
6:00-6:30pm Meet Molly, the "Cheeseball Chick"
6:30-7:45pm God Delights Despite.....
7:45-8:30pm Delightful Dessert
8:30-9:45am The Dangers of Delighting in Guys

Saturday, May 1
8:45-9:15am Coffee and Treats
9:15-10:30am Flight to Delight
11:00-1:00pm Ladies and Girls Spring Luncheon
~Delighting is Exciting~

Reserve your spot by calling the First Baptist Church office at 320-286-2562.

Of course, there is something even more important than sex.  Molly calls this "Meeting the Big Cheese."  On her website she's got lots of cool stuff, including a story that begins like this:

I was in high school and had the opportunity to ride in a car with my older brother and 4 of his really cool friends. I had a crush on all the guys in the car, except of course, my brother. I was sandwiched in between the driver and my brother, so you can imagine my embarrassment as I “cut the cheese” -  no pun intended. I let out a silent but very deadly, slowly seeping fart. Oh wow, it was bad! The color rose in my cheeks as I realized what I had just done.

Of course I nearly started a riot in the car. The guys were yelling, banging their fists on the ceiling, making gagging noises, stomping their feet. Sure enough, the inquisition began. They started in the back seat drilling each guy to try to place the blame. “Dude! Could that have really come from a human? How is that possible?”. Each guy was adamant it was not him. My fear rose as the questioning reached the front seat. My brother was next than me. I am not a very good liar and figured I’d burst into tears of shame and embarrassment when it got to me. It never did.

I was floored when I heard my brother say, “Sorry guys, it was me.” And for the remainder of the ride, my brother was in the hot seat. I sat in silence, wondering if there was any way that my brother really let one go at the exact time I did. I had to find out. When we got home, I pulled him aside. He was quick to explain that he knew it was me. “Molly, I know our smell. I can recognize the Barnhart Fart and I knew you’d be devastated, so I decided to take the blame so you wouldn’t have to.”

You can read the rest of the story by clicking here.

Here are some other little tidbits from a few notes I took at Molly's talk last night:

• Molly said: When I got married I both my husband and I were virgins and hadn't messed around sexually.  So we didn't need to worry about anything when it came to sex.  We didn't need to worry that the the other person had an STD or an STI (sexually transmitted infection).  We didn't need to think that the other person was comparing us with a previous partner.  It was great!
• A majority--over 50%--of high school seniors have actually NOT had sex.
• For guys - having sex now will NOT impress your future wife.
• Oral sex is sex.
• Love is PATIENT - first definition of LOVE in the list of definitions beginning in First Corinthians 13:4.
• A guy once told Molly that he thinks of one word when he sees a girl dressed provocatively: Chlamydia!  She then encouraged girls to look through their clothes with a friend and ask themselves "Why do I wear that?" and if the answer is "to excite guys" or turn them on -- get rid of that clothing.
• When you feel pressured into sex, remove yourself from the situation!
• Pay attention to the movies you watch, the songs you listen to, the websites you visit.  Ask yourself - Do the producers sexually provocative or explicit media care about you?  (The answer is no.)
• Sex is a spiritual thing.  It's not just physical.  The act of sex makes two one (First Corinthians 6:16).
• But we serve a God who makes everything new (First John 1:9).  Forgiveness and new life and new birth are always available because, on the Cross, God took ownership of us--and our sins.

For more about sexuality, look in our church library for books from the Learning About Sex series or my Interview on Sexuality on this blog.

www.equalsharing.com