Claimed, gathered and sent

Sunday, May 4, was my last day of undergrad. I am finished...with undergrad that is. The next step in August is The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg . For so long it seemed like finishing undergrad was so far off... years away and now it's here. Graduation is tomorrow, though I am unable to attend. The past few years have been challenging and exciting. I will miss the online classmates I have grown to love. We have become quite a community of faith. Picture courtesy of flickr.

A number of years ago, I worked at McDonald's. No matter how I washed my uniforms, no matter what I used, they smelled like McDonald's food. People could tell where I had been just by the smell. Last week the smell of turkey wafted through the house thanks to a revgalblogpal recipe. Everything goes in the crockpot: turkey breast, cranberry sauce, and onion soup mix. Then you just let it cook for about 10 hours. It's so easy. And it smells and tastes delicious. And of course coffee! Yum. Even people that don't like coffee enjoy the aroma. What is our scent? In this passage , Paul speaks of the believer having an aroma...the "aroma of the knowledge" of God that is to be spread everywhere. We are an aroma to the people we encounter daily and an aroma to God. Can people tell where we've been, who we've been with by what we smell like? So, how do we smell like Jesus? Spend time with him. Hang out with him. Learn from him. Abide in him. Everyone will...

My personal philosophy of leadership is Jesus-style servanthood. “You must know what you care about…Because you can only be authentic when leading others according to the principles that matter most to you” (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 52). Jesus evidenced the “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 13) in his leadership as he modeled the way, inspired a shared vision, challenged the process, enabled others to act, and encouraged the heart (Kouzes & Posner, p. 13). His impact was dynamic, embodying “Genuine acts of caring [that] uplift the spirits and draw people forward” (Kouzes & Posner, p. 19). The results: a small band multiplied (Matthew 11:28) . “Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world” (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2006, p. 5) meaning “It’s not about you” (Warren, 2002, p. 17). We play but a small part in God’s plan. Leading through dependence upon God is ke...

There is an article from the Alban Institute entitled Eucharist as a Way of Life which is worth reading. Enjoy. Picture from flickr.

Throughout the passage Ezekiel 36:28-38 , I see God’s overwhelming, relentless grace in dealing with his wayward, rebellious people. He is doing all the work! Look at how many times “I” is used: “…the land I gave… I will be your God” (v. 28). “I will save… I will call” (v. 29). “I will increase” (v. 30). “I want you to know” (v. 32). “I cleanse…I…resettle) (v. 33). “I have rebuilt…I…have spoken…I will do it” (v. 36). “I will yield…I will make” (v. 37). “I am the Lord” (v. 38). In verse 36 alone it is God who rebuilds what was destroyed and replants what was desolate. He has spoken and he will do it. This is a concept I cannot escape. Our works are not good enough to win us salvation or to make us any better Christians. I have a better grasp now of why Luther was so excited by the revelation of his own inability. True restoration and change is nothing broken humanity can accomplish. Though made in the image of God, that image is tarnished by sin. Salvation and sa...

Sally created this week's Friday Five, posted over at RevGalBlogPals : Part of the Ascension Day Scripture from Acts 11 contains this promise from Jesus; "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Then he was taken from their sight into the clouds, two angels appeared and instructed the probably bewildered disciples to go back to Jerusalem, where they began to wait and to pray for the gift Jesus had promised. Prayer is a joy to some of us, and a chore to others, waiting likewise can be filled with anticipation or anxiety.... So how do you wait and pray? 1. How do you pray best, alone or with others? It depends on the kind of prayer: worship, intercession, etc. In the morning I have my alone time in prayer, which I cherish. Without it, the day doesn't seem to go right. Before bed, my husband and I pray together for each other, our family, frie...

Jesus exemplified servant leadership, the name being coined from this statement, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26, Today’s New International Version). Lussier and Achua define it as “leadership that transcends self-interest to serve the needs of others, by helping them grow professionally and personally” (Lussier & Achua, 2007, p. 515). The lack of self-interest distinguishes it from transformational leadership (Winston & Patterson, 2005, p. 26). In challenging the process, enabling others to act or encouraging the heart, the only way to be sure of acting as a servant leader is to be in close communion with God, asking ourselves, “Whose approval are we seeking?” This morning in reading 1 Thessalonians 2, I was struck by these few words “approved by God” (1 Thessalonians 2:4, New Revised Standard Version). Paul’s focus was “pleas[ing] God who tests our hearts” (4b) (Gauvin, 2008). It must flow from relationship with God bec...