Melting Snow

As much as I love the onset of spring, I am not so infatuated with the mess of melting snow

during this time of year. Our home is nestled at the base of a hill that is a part of a bluestone formation. Which means that all the rain and melting snow trickles down to our block foundation. Almost every spring we fight the good fight with groundwater infiltration. It’s not fun, but it’s not impossible either. It’s always good to get active as early as possible to get the snow away from the foundation and to make sure to direct the run off towards the culverts or alley.

There is something else that is not so fun during early spring: when the snow begins to melt and all the trash and discarded items left in the streets are now exposed. Oh, they are still frozen in the ice so you can’t move them, but you can definitely see them. A mitten here, a sled there. The best part? We live next to Proctor High School so we seem to attract all the homework and assignment sheets abandoned by the students. Then again, the truly messiest offenders live with us: our dogs. Yes, I said dogs (plural). We have three of these cuddly pooches. We call them pets which sounds more domesticated than it really is.  I mean, they think they are domesticated but my backyard begs to differ. Melting snow is both a sign of spring and warmer weather and a sign of the total chaos that I now need to clean up.

Having grown up first in South Dakota where my grandfather and relatives farmed, I grew up with dust on my boots and mud under my fingernails. I love the smell of the earth. When my father accepted a call to the mission field in Brazil,  I was delighted. We lived in a city but the rural members that he served were mostly people living off the land, which allowed me to have a horse and to travel around the city and countryside on horseback. It was an amazing way to grow up.

As the snow melts in the spring, I can smell the decaying leaves of fall and the growing grass of spring. When I get up in the morning, I am a bit anxious to start raking my yard. I want to pick up the leaves and debris. I want to start planting flowers and my garden. I want to trim the bushes so that they will bloom more fully in the summer. Most of all, I want to be doing something. I want to shake off the laziness of winter’s imposed hibernation and stretch my arms and legs and lungs, and breathe in the emerging life and activity of spring.

I hope you were not expecting some deeply theological diatribe. If you were, I’m sorry! What I have to offer is an invitation to join the human race. To struggle against defeatism and the inevitable lethargy that seems to be engulfing our country and world. When we give in to that winter doldrum, all we see is a debris field. But if we pay attention, the winter melt gives way to picking up the debris, and raking the discarded papers, and even mucking out the backyard from doggie doo. 

Yes, we are a resilient people. God has made us that way so that we can be light in the world, the sunlight when the cold winters get too long. We are people of grace with faith enough to share the good news. Winter comes, but so does the promise of new life in Christ. 

So, join me, and let us melt the snow of despair and proclaim a new day is dawning. YES, a new day is dawning!

Blessings, Pastor Jeff

The Right Idea Will Fly

Like many young people of my era, the idea of flight has always intrigued

me. The story of the Wright Brothers and the “Kitty Hawk” fed my thirst for

adventure and allowed me to dream dreams that seemed unobtainable, and yet

possible.

When I turned 10, my grandfather gifted me with a horse. Our family was

living in Brazil at the time, and that gift opened up so many doors for me. My

father was a busy pastor serving multiple congregations in a pretty rural town in

the southernmost state in South America. My mother was trying to keep her

family dressed, fed and happy. Which worked out well for me, since I was given a

lot of freedom.

I used to walk to the farm where my horse was kept. The farm

belonged to the Yost family who were a German speaking family who attended

the Lutheran church my father was serving. They were simple people but with a

hard-working disposition. They were also kind and caring, and generous to a

fault. My horse had all the apples and pears that a horse could eat since they

grew all sorts of fruit in their abundant orchard.

The Yost farm was on the edge of town, and just beyond the fence lay an

open field that served as the municipal airport. Sounds pretty impressive but the

planes that landed on the grass runway were just single engine planes with no

more than two or three passengers on board. But it at least it had the iconic wind

sock in its bright orange color to let the pilots know which way the wind was

blowing. The point is that I could go catch my horse and ride to the top of the field

and exit the gate at the top of the field and watch the small planes taking off and

come in for landings.

In my mind, as a young boy, they could be going anywhere

or coming back from anywhere and they were taking me with them. I think only a

small propeller plane has the power to capture our imaginations like that.

This Lenten season we are going to be exploring the ways that God’s

presence is made known to us. Like wind in one’s face or like a bird returning to

northern forests we sense God’s presence more than we realize. Sitting on my

horse, I could sense when it was frightened or when it’s muscles were tense in

anticipation of flight. What does God reveal about God’s self in the gospels?

Which of our senses are awakened when the Crucifixion story unfolds right there

before us?

What “right idea will fly” to give us an innovative new perspective about

the grace of God that will transform us in some deep way and leave us incapable

of being silent? This may be the moment when your life will be open to the spirit,

when the God you hear, see, touch, taste and smell will find you ready and willing

to Pass it on.

Hey, lets us go flying together. OK? Come and be a part of our Lenten

journey. Enclosed is the schedule for this coming season of flying and innovation

here at the “Bridge of Faith” Parish. Dream some dreams with me, and feel the

wind of the spirits breath as we journey together to the cross but then to the

wonder of the empty tomb.

Flying and Set Free,

Pastor Jeffrey Holter

An Interesting Road Trip

A few years ago I was searching for a snow blower. The one I had been using kept breaking down. I was also sharing it with my son who lived a few miles away. This meant every time he needed the snow blower, we had to load it into a trailer, haul it to his place, then turn around and bring it back to our house. Point being– this was a constant, labor-intensive process, and I was determined to change that. So I searched the internet for a (new to me) snow blower.

If there is one thing I love, it’s a road trip with my wife to look at used machinery. As luck would have it, I found what looked like a good Husqvarna snowblower about 40 miles away. It was already about 4 p.m., but the owner said he would be home and we were welcome to take a look at it. Pulling into the yard where the snowblower was located, the owner came out and started the machine. Unfortunately, it was a bit more used than I wanted and ran a bit rough, so I thanked him and we left.

The autumn clouds overhead warned of wind and rain, and it was darker than when we’d first started. After driving for a few miles, the wind started up and the rain began to come down. A few more miles later, it started to pour. I mean POUR! Cats, dogs, and the whole zoo of rain-producing creatures kind of POURING. At one point, we hydroplaned and I could not see the white lines on the pavement. I pulled over to a side road and slowed the car to a stop. 

A few minutes later, the rain slowed. The clouds floated by. The wind stopped howling. And a few remaining rays of the evening sunset greeted us. We drove the rest of the way home treasuring this view.

Moving Through the Story of Jesus

On Sunday, January 12, we celebrated the Baptism of Our Lord. We have moved along in this story of Jesus. First, it is the miracle of Jesus’ birth, and then the flight into Egypt to escape King Herod. Then we witnessed Jesus as a 12-year-old boy visiting the temple and being questioned by the chief priests and temple leaders. This feels like the calm before the storms already brewing as we approach the Lenten and Easter seasons.

Maybe we should consider taking a moment to pull over. We may need to stop and consider what we are seeing. Or even what we cannot see. At times, the road signs seem to disappear all together. Sometimes the lines needed to keep ourselves on a safe path may be blurred by the pouring rain. That pouring rain being a world going too fast, pouring down on us with such force that we become blinded by fear and leery of taking another step forward.

First, Take a Breath

I believe that our world is exhausted. It is not only frightening to drive in a rainstorm, it is exhausting. Let me suggest something for this month. First, take a breath. Second, allow time for the heaviest part of the storm to pass. No one expects us to drive when we cannot see two feet in front of ourselves. That is dangerous for us and may put others in danger as well. Give yourself time to prepare for the difficult part of the journey. Keep your eyes on Jesus because he is both our destination and our guide. Finally, be open to sharing the ride with someone you love, someone you trust. A friend, a neighbor, or in my case almost always my wife. 

Blessings on journey as we approach the Lenten season, and be kind!

Blessings In Christ,

Pastor Jeffrey Holter

A River Runs Through It

Image of River flowing over rocks

by Pastor Jeff Holter

I wrote the article below for the EcoFaith magazine, however I believe we can hear the echoes with the invitation to wait expectantly for the Messiah. There is a yearning in our hearts to also await the day when all the world is changed by his arrival.

My wife, Joan, and I were invited to our nephew’s wedding this fall. It was a destination wedding to Glacier National Park. Our nephew and his wife met at work but spent their vacations traveling to national parks throughout the country. It was the end of the park season and we anticipated traveling through snow. Already we had determined not to fly out to Montana but to enjoy the drive through North Dakota and all the way to Glacier. I suppose that for some that sounds boring, but we wanted to take in the scenery of the central plains.

The route we chose was the northern route, going through Fargo and then taking highway 2 to Glacier. There is another route, going south and taking the freeway through Bismarck, ND. But then all one sees is traffic and endless pavement. What both Joan and I wanted was to see the terrain of the rolling plains. You can not travel at the speed of “not seeing anything” but you do see the creatures and native topography of these rolling hills. As you get closer to Glacier you begin to see the Rockies and the mounds of rocks jutting out of the plains.

As I recall our trip, what matters the most is the realization that what made the trip memorable was both the joy of the wedding, the nature, and natural world we encountered. Let me elaborate!

Sometimes no matter how observant one tries to be, you can’t guarantee the weather or wildlife are going to cooperate. The first day we drove up Glacier to Logan’s Pass. The rode is very narrow and the air is very thin. Still, when we arrived, we decided to climb to a mountain lake, about a three mile hike up a steep hill. After a mile and a half, thin air was getting the best of us. Darn aging! We decided that one and a half miles was absolutely OK with us and we started down the path again. 

We had just stopped to rest when someone yelled “BEAR”! We turned around and, sauntering up behind us was a grizzly bear. We froze, until Joan realized our bear spray was in my backpack. Joan quickly dug into the backpack while I took out my cell phone and started taking pictures of the bear. It wasn’t hungry for Lutherans that day, and just kept crossing the path, moving toward other food. I have the pictures, and I won’t forget that experience. I keep thinking of all the beauty we saw on this trip: buffalo, antelope, moose, wild mustangs, so… many prairie dogs and one lone coyote who was also keeping an eye on the prairie dog village. This is a great country and our world can be a place of beauty and wonder and can still boggle the mind.

Our trip back home was also very meaningful. We continued taking the roads less taken, bringing us to a roadside parking lot for a needed stretch of the legs and some time to move around. Joan and I parked the car and walked down to the river which the road seemed to be following. The river was very low and water moved very slowly. The shore line exposed the river bottom where rocks with dried up moss and mud caked stones once shined when the water had covered them. We walked closer to the running water and realized we were not alone. 

A gentleman came up behind us, taking a rest from what we came to find out was a long trip from Bismarck. We talked for a bit, sharing our mutual appreciation for the river and the beauty of the nature in front of us. That led to other disclosures: where we were from and the joy of having been at our nephew’s wedding.

The man shared why he was there. He and his wife were coming home from a doctor’s appointment. He relayed that his wife has cancer and things did not look good, but they always stopped at the river on their way home to celebrate the goodness of God and beauty of God’s good creation. He then told me that this river was actually very special because it was the river and location of the movie, “A River Runs Through It.” The movie stars Brad Pitt, and was directed by Robert Redford. However, when I remember that movie,  I think how nature, in all its glory, can bring peace and wholeness when life gets crazy. When we are tested beyond our human endurance. 

Nature is our healing. Nature is God’s way of putting things into perspective. It keeps us from losing hope. Nature’s resilience gives God’s grace a means to visibly show us how God is available to us. Holding us and giving us a place to renew our spirits. I believe this is God’s true testament to us. How we treat nature is our true testament we can trust God to be there for us no matter what. Enjoy your day, enjoy life and give thanks to God for God’s goodness endures forever.

Peace, Pastor Jeff

God's (Other) Gifts to Us

Members of Family of God Lutheran Church sing Christmas Carols.

by Rose M. Fife, Music Director / Communications

It was one of those moments when the decision was made for me.

The announcements that Sunday morning mentioned, “Come to Open Arms. Help us greet people, shake their hands.” And I knew, despite that day’s To Do list, I’d be going. Plopping down my music, I sat at their piano, as surprised as they were that there was going to be live music today.

I tried to quietly play along with the music in the service (incidentally the service I had just played. It’s harder than you think to play music along with yourself from an hour ago.) So Becky jumped in to mute the service every time music was played.

I thought we had figured out the plan and the residents were tolerating it until one woman burst into tears and ran to hug the Activities Director. I lowered my hands from the keyboard and thought, “Well, that didn’t go to plan. Not a problem. No more live music.”

When I later apologized to Shelley, wonderful Activities Director, for upsetting the residents, she said the reaction was the opposite. The woman was so grateful to hear live music and see more people that she couldn’t contain her emotions. I was speechless, touched, changed. Again and again I am reminded of one of God’s gifts to us all: Music. To celebrate, to grieve, to connect, to emote… it is there for all of us.

On Sunday, December 8, 10:30, we have another opportunity to share more music, more love, and more Christmas spirit with the residents at Open Arms Senior Living. Join us for caroling! I’ll bring the songbooks. You bring the Santa hats.

The Story

This year during Advent, we return to the Gospel of Luke. This is so refreshing for me. Because the story of Christmas takes flight with detail after detail that brings Jesus’ birth to life. We can’t help but be taken in by stars that shine bright and shepherds that keep watch over their flocks by night. We also tune our ears to listen as Mary spills the news of her pregnancy to Elizabeth who is also expecting, even in her advanced years. The miracles just keep jumping off the page as the story unfolds and draws us in.

What I love most is this story’s ability to transport me to my childhood in Mt. Vernon, SD, and to Trinity Lutheran where I first heard the story of Jesus. From his birth to the empty tomb, this sanctuary of my youth planted the seeds that have fueled my curious heart all these years. I wonder if this is the same story that most children and young adults turn to when they remember what sparked their faith life?

What is it about this story that speaks so deeply to us? Maybe it is several ideas. First, as children we are pretty impressionable, and this story is told from a child’s vantage point. 

 No matter how dysfunctional our family systems may be, the child in all of us longs to feel we are a blessing to our parents. The sacredness of the story reveals not only the hope of this love of our parents, but is a testament to the love God (our creator) has for us. Bound by this love, pondering the movement of the incarnation, we are led to believe that God, our heavenly parent, is even more gracious and loves us more than any earthly parent could. 

Second, as the story unfolds, it tells the truth about life. Life is hard. Not everything goes according to plan. In real life and real time we see how delicate life can be. Along come evil rulers and those who do their bidding. Children become pawns in their schemes and Mary and Joseph must flee to protect their family. Most people I have met can share a story of trying to find their way in an uncertain world.

This Advent and Christmas, we are going to celebrate a story of hope. A conviction of things prayed for and a belief in things that are not easily seen. It should not surprise you this season is a time to open your heart to faith. A faith that God cares about you, and holds you close. It will be a time to let the story speak to you and assure you that fears and doubts do not determine whether God will love you. God does, period. It is a part of the journey that out of our fears and doubts, faith is given an opportunity to grow. Grace is received by faith. So do not fear your fears, do not hide your doubts. Let it be ok to struggle. Then hear how God comes to you in the flesh to embody this love of God in Jesus. 

Christmas is an experience. It draws us into the presence of a God who meets the challenges of life and gives the assurance that He is here. In the messiness and the questions and all that life throws at us, God refuses to abandon us. So… Come Oh Come Emmanuel and Capture Captive Israel (a man seeing God)…’ Ys (Man) r’h (to see) ‘el (God). This Christmas I want to see God.

Have a Blessed Christmas, Pastor Jeff

Thanksgiving Hands

This November, we will be gathering to give thanks for all of God’s blessings

this past year. This is one of those times when it is good to bring everyone

together since it has taken the sacrifice of all the people in these two

congregations to make this happen; we are now a “Parish.” Who could have

imagined this just a few years ago? This Thanksgiving as we remember all the

hard work and dedication that went into this journey, we are both excited to see

what the future holds and thankful that God has blessed us with this parish

ministry.

Thanksgiving hands are active hands. We have put these hands together in

prayer, but also in holy work. Not being a musician, I love watching a good

musician playing an instrument during worship. When we gather at the altar and

come to receive forgiveness God offers in the bread and wine it is thankful hands

that assist me during Holy Communion.

I have seen first hand the active hands that serve our meals both at Family

of God and at Kenwood. Our dinners and the pasties we prepare are seasoned

with the goodness of home cooking, and the joy of serving our congregations and

community with a deep dedication to ministry. These are Thanksgiving hands.

Our churches are a place were people come for comfort and understanding

when loved ones die and when illness and grief are too much to bare. Here we

serve as pastors and councilors and friends. We also serve as those who

encourage, and support and who lift high the Cross of Christ. Here in this place

new light is streaming, here in this place darkness is vanished away.

The mundane also plays a melodious tune in our parish. Coffee needs to be

made, newsletters must be written and sent out on the parish web sites.

Bathrooms need cleaning and flowers need pruning. The list is an endless list, and

thank filled hands (like Kirby Puckett) touches them all. We are dedicated,

correct? But why are we dedicated?

Thanksgiving hands are the way they are because of one thing; they are

thank filled and actively so because of what God has done for us in Jesus. Here,

too, we are imitators of the one who’s hands set the ultimate example of what it

means to serve. Hands that extended themselves in love for us. On the cross,

Jesus made sure that nothing would be held back, nothing spared. Everything

was on the line, we were being drawn into his embrace and our only response

was this; “Thank you, Lord!” This has always been what motivates us.

Thanksgiving is what gives our hands wings and joy and a heart willing and ready

to serve.

Embrace your Thanksgiving heart--it is yours created by Jesus to be your

way of life!

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Jeff

Faded Blue Jeans

It is that time of year; when the weather gets a bit colder and we exchange

shorts for blue jeans. Summertime brings out clothing for warmer weather, but

as the summer heat gives way to cooler fall evenings, it is more in keeping with

my body’s comfort zone to pull out some faded blue jeans to wear. It is

interesting to me just how comfortable a pair of old faded blue jeans can be. I

have a few pairs that have been with me now for decades. Yes, decades! Some

are almost white at the knees, having been washed so many times that there is

very little blue still present in the fabric. But, I keep them because they are

soooo… comfortable. The fabric, once stiff when it was purchased, has now

become soft and pliable. Over time, those jeans have molded to my body and tell

a story of the many places I have been to and of vacations spent where blue jeans

are the best choice of clothing to wear.

Those faded blue jeans fit well and feel great. Most of us realize, however,

that you don’t get a pair of comfortable faded blue jeans unless you wear them.

Yes, the first time you put on a pair of blue jeans they are awful. Patiently, you

wear those blue jeans in; and then one day, they are incredible.

Together, we are as a parish like a pair of new blue jeans right now. We

have purchased this pair of blue jeans and they are still a bit stiff and

uncomfortable. Still, all that is needed is some time. Time to wash out the

stiffness and time for those jeans (Parish) to get to know each other better. To

mold the ministry to the bodies that we are in Christ, of course this is not going to

be easy and that is the point. It is extremely hard to do. But we know something

about faded blue jeans. We know that it is worth it to not throw those new jeans

away, because it is from those new jeans that faded blue jeans are born.

Patience! It sometimes comes down to this simple good advice. Be

patient! The other day when we gathered together for the picnic, I was a bit

apprehensive. Don’t ask me why, I just was. Then, I watched as people started

coming in and sitting next to each other and the quiet space became disquieted

as we turned and started conversing with each other. It was reminiscent of my

first day of school. Sitting next to someone I didn’t know and suddenly

discovering that we had something in common, and washing away my fears and

replacing apprehension with a sense of community. Oh, to be a child again!

So, here we are going into the fall. Time to put some of the stiffness away,

time to wash out some of the blue and find common ground and enjoy the

comfort of knowing that we are creating a faded blue jean kind of ministry. A

ministry molded to who we are and what God is calling us to become. Praise be

to God!

Blessings, Pastor Jeff

Fall Makeover

Ready, Set, Go!

There is no longer a time buffer between talking about being a parish and

actually living into parish life. Fall is just around the corner--and maybe it is just

me, but already the morning air feels a lot like fall. Now no one in their right mind

would want to shorten the summers up here in the Northland. Still, it just feels

like autumn is speeding towards us like a freight train.

Life is filled with seasons. There are seasons in nature and there are

seasons in life. My children are not very appreciative of the season I seem to be

entering in life. It is the season of the aging body. No one gets to be a stranger to

that season. It’s the aches and pains that seem to accumulate over a life time.

Then they hit you all at once making you suddenly aware of all the less than

healthy ways you have treated your body when you were younger. Still, we are

given an opportunity to play a bit of a mulligan with our health by just treating

our bodies with a bit more respect and a bit more care.

Fall makeover is this time in the calendar year when we move from summer

to fall and there are all sorts of changes that we need to make. But, it’s good! It’s

healthy! It is also very necessary. My son Kyle started trimming the perennial

plants around our house yesterday. I’m hoping to coat the blacktop in front of my

garage to protect it for winter.

The church is also getting ready for a busy fall. Sunday School is soon to be

starting in both Family of God and Kenwood. We are going to have to make

decisions about Adult Bible Study and a host of other things. The most important

of those decisions is to prepare and to be patient and kind. As this fall makeover

takes place, we all know that change is hard. We may not look the same or move

as quickly as we once did. We will have a few aches and pains to deal with. But

listen, it is all good. With age and changing seasons comes wisdom.

The makeover is hard, we feel the wind of it first, and the chill of it surprises us. We

will survive! We will do good ministry together and we will trim and prune and

wrap up and protect so that come spring there will be new growth and roots deep

in the soil of God’s grace. I invite you to check out the fall colors with me. To

appreciate the makeover that is here for us to enjoy.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Jeffrey Holter

(Your Fall Guide in Christ)