From Paper to Heaven- A Young Poetess

The Unforeseen Path 

(Inspired by Psalm 23) 

by Erin O.

As I walk through a long

Winding road, darkness

Overtakes it.

I shudder as fear overwhelms

Every inch in my being. 

Suddenly, I am touched by an

All surpassing warmth. 

A light touches the place 

Where my feet meet the earth. 

Though I fear nothing. 

The light takes hold of me 

And gently carries me to 

A placid stream.

I drink and my soul is 

Restored. 

I find myself at a breathtakingly 

Exquisite banquet, prepared 

For me, I am later informed.

I sit and mine enemies

Look upon me with 

Scornful eyes.

However I fear nothing,

Because the light is 

By my side.

Erin is a junior in high school.
 She enjoys writing in her free time.

 Music brings her joy 
(because it helps her to really relax). 

 At the moment her life feels 
a bit like a whirlwind of chaos,

 but the Holy Spirit is working in her
 to bring peace in her writing. 

 Erin will be a contributing writer 
for Journeys of Faith

 as a young author-
posting From Paper to Heaven.

GriefShare- A Butterfly Release

We gathered on an ordinary Tuesday evening -

to remember and give thanks 

for our loved ones now in heaven. 

We need to remember the blessings and joy.

 They still matter to us.

 It is good to think about the freedom 

they now know from sin 

and every earthly struggle. 

We think about how the caterpillar disappears

 into a chrysalis.

 Something so drab, colorless and lifeless looking.

  It would seem that the end has come

 and there is no more hope for the lowly caterpillar. 

                                            And then . . . after a time of waiting,

                                      at just the right time,

                           the beautiful butterfly emerges.             

                                                     A familiar quote reads,

                              “just when the caterpillar 
                             thought the world was over,
                                  it became a butterfly.” 
                                      And so for us too, 
                                   the world is not over 
                            when we or a loved one dies.
                        The most wonderful life of being
                          in the perfect presence of Jesus
                                      is just beginning!

                       A Butterfly Release is a wonderful way
                              to honor our loved ones
                                and can actually be a 
                     time of emotional release as well. 
                       We order the butterflies from the 
                           Butterfly Release Company
                                      in Florida 
                           butterfly release company
                            and follow up the Release
                               with butterfly cookies
                     and all kinds of other refreshments.

 It becomes a pleasant time of fellowship

                                         with others 
                who are grieving the loss of loved ones 
                                     and reminds us
             that none of us are alone in the journey of grief.

The service for this event:

Thanks to Denise Wright- Journeys of Faith contributing writer.

Denise serves at St. John's Lutheran Church, in York, PA.,

where she is the Director of Spiritual Growth, and works as 

 the GriefShare coordinator. 

Stephanie Greig- Handmade in her Etsy shop

Stephanie Greig

Recently I asked Stephanie
to share a bit about her Etsy shop 
and handmade items she sells there.
A Bit of her story-
"My felt banners are made using my

personal handwritten cursive stencils.

Each banner can be personalized 

to your color scheme 

and I even take custom word,

quote or Bible verse requests.
I started this shop as an extension
of my healing from having 
postpartum depression
after my daughter was born.

God has been restoring me to be whole
and to do the things that delight my heart.
Utilizing my gifts and abilities 
in being creative
is an act of vocational worship.
Quite frankly,
 I just need to be doing this.

Being creative matters!

I believe it is important to celebrate

the people 
and the special moments in your life.

What you surround yourself with,

what you see everyday

and what you tell yourself matters.

So my prayer is that a 

Season of Restoration banner

would remind you and the ones you love

what is most important."

The link to Stephanie's etsy shop is:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/seasonofrestoration

Working on the new additions to her
Etsy shop for Aug 31, 2016 posting.

Stephanie is from Hamburg, NY (south of Buffalo). 

She attended Concordia, Ann Arbor and
studied Family Life ministry and graduated in 2009.
She is married to Nyck Greig

who graduated from 

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and they serve
at Trinity Lutheran Church, Richmond, Va.
They are parents to a sweet daughter.

Denise Wright - Coloring, Praying and Grieving

Denise Wright- Northern Region

Denise shares a bit about the Grief Care Ministry at

St. John's Lutheran Church in York, PA.:

A recent gathering of GriefShare
 incorporated some Visual Prayer
 in a gathering. 
Most of the people who come for GriefShare 
are from the community.
They are not all unchurched,
 but a good number of them are in that category.
 I always feel like GriefShare time
 is really “church!” 

The gospel message is shared, every time.
 We share questions, thoughts, feelings,
 laughter and many tears. 
We go through many boxes of tissues! 
Sometimes there is really confession 
and the letting go of regrets
 and wrongs of the past. 

Sometimes this is where
 we wrestle hard with forgiveness
 and come to a better understanding
 of what Jesus has done for us. 
We struggle with where God
 is in the midst of the suffering.  
Sometimes people arrive very early,
 hungry for the opportunity to share 
and be heard and accepted.

Most times people stay for a 
long time after the gathering.
 It is time to enjoy the fellowship
 with people "who get it".
 New friends are made. 
Hope is shared – always! 
We share food and drink.
  Jesus is always always there.
  It is a time of communion in His presence.

The Visual Prayer process was well received 
and it will be a part of how we design
 our time together in the future
 as learn and grow in the grieving journey.

 Denise became the Director of Spiritual Growth

 for St. John Lutheran Church in August 2005. 

Denise was born and raised in Hamlin, NY,

 a small town on the shores of Lake Ontario.

 Denise attended Concordia College in Bronxville, NY, 

and then taught for 26 years., from preschool to Middle School.

Denise is a experienced retreat writer and leader.

A life passion is the care and spiritual nurture of others.

 A favorite Bible verse is: Colossians 3:17, 

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, 

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

We welcome Denise as a contributing writer 

for the Journeys of Faith blog.