Natalie Hartwig- Central Region

I'm a TK  (Teacher's Kid) who raised 2 PKs (Preacher's Kid)  Most TKs and PKs will grow up without having grand parents or cousins beside them every Sunday. It takes real work and a willingness to make yourself vulnerable to help your children establish family of faith ties within the local congregation that is their church home. I think the clearest instruction to do so is found at the foot of the cross in Christ's creation of the mother/son tie between the beloved disciple, John, and Mary, his own mother. When you read the various accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection it is clear that John's own mother was probably also present at the foot of the cross. Christ did not intend to break the tie between John and his birth mother, but rather to emphasize the closeness that should exist within the family of faith. Here is a short devotion that I wrote some years ago that looks at the same thing from a slightly different angle. 

Ashes to Roses

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted” 

Isaiah 61:1b

Dora envied her best friend’s family. They filled a pew and a half with 3 children, 2 in laws, and 7 grandchildren. Dora’s own children were scattered from coast to coast. She sat with them only during their annual visit. She prayed for them faithfully, spoke often of and to them, but she so missed being with them in worship. 

God heard the sighs of her heart and opened her eyes to a young family with more small children than they had laps. Dora began with prayer and then regularly sat with that family offering a shoulder to a sleepy child, a guiding hand to a young reader, and a welcome smile every week. They became part of her family of the heart as well as her family of faith.

Dearest Father, thank you for the chance to share Your love with the children you have given to me in my family of faith. Amen

Ask: Ask your pastor to introduce you to a family that could use an honorary grandparent.

Read: Isaiah 61:1-3 and John 19:25 - 26

Even though our season is Epiphany 

these words penned by Natalie

 are a wonderful, simple reminder 

of the ways that Advent fills us 

each and every day:

A Three Sentence Story of Advent

Gifts of love, simply wrapped, place in a crib.

Lights of life centered on the table 

where bread is broken and THE Word is read.

Symbols of faith hung on a tree reflect 

the Life offered on a tree to give me life.

And a Haiku-

Only God

Lives, Loves, Gives, Forgives

Forever.

(C) Natalie Grace 1/24/2016

We give thanks for the way that Natalie encourages us
to "be" family and see others as "family."

Susan Furst- Central Region

      God has been blessing me so much in the past six months that I can barely breathe sometimes.  I love telling people about Jesus and I was led to take some online writing classes.  The results have been nothing short of a miracle.  Within the span of six months I have gone from writing for myself and whoever would listen, to having some of my poems published and a book in the works. Who does that-only God! My Humpty Dumpty story came from my experience with my first class.

     It began as an assignment, and ended up as a response to the heaviness I felt in my spirit for the other writers in my class.  Most of the writers in the class were not Christian, and their writing was filled with spiritual heaviness and sadness. They leaned toward Buddhism, Karma, and Humanism for answers and meaning in their lives. It was very depressing. They were very supportive and caring people and I longed to tell them about Jesus.

     So I was moved to finish my Humpty story as a response to their sadness and pain.  It was my parting gift. My story was not overtly Christian, but dealt with the themes of hope and redemption. I pray that the Holy Spirit will work through the words I have written, for them and others who read my book! Because of my writing success, I feel that God is blessing me and I want to make myself available for whatever He has for me to do.

     To celebrate this new open door for writing my husband gave me a wonderful Christmas gift.  It is an antique Underwood Typewriter circa 1920. My husband Herb, knew I loved antiques and used to type my college papers on an old manual Underwood typewriter (although not that old) So he surprised me with this wonderful gift which is proudly displayed in my living room.

     My teacher encouraged me to submit some of my poetry to an online publication called:

The Poetry Super Highway:poetrysuperhighway

I was selected to be “Poet of the Week” (December 14-20) 2015. You can access my poem here:   poets_of_the_week

Also on the same site you can access another poem at Haiku Universe in the archives.

My book “Humpty Dumpty, Cracks and all: A Tale of Hope and Redemption” is to be published in early spring 2016, with full color illustrations. 

I give thanks for my Head Cheerleader-Herb. And all that I have been learning in the past few months. May it bring God Glory!

Susan has been a member of 

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield, Virginia. 

We are thankful for her giving spirit 

that moves through chronic health issues

 to be used in the Kingdom for His Glory.