Relationships v.s. GEOGRAPHY

We continue to give thanks for the ministry of Tina Jaison and her "rethinking" ministry in the city. This is reposted from her blog:http://missionjesusstyle.blogspot.com

RELATIONSHIPS v.s. GEOGRAPHY

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.   PSALM 24:1-2

When we believe this to be true, why is it that we still impose human territories on what belongs to the Lord?  

There are a variety of ways to create boundaries between what is the Lord's and how we identify what is ours...

Countries - States - Counties - Parishes - Zip Codes

Personal Possessions - Businesses - Government

As a mission developer in a metropolitan area, I am watching a dilemma unfold... 

We're in a generation where people travel long distances from the places they live to where they work, play and worship.  The challenge often is that the great majority of a person's relationships are not near the church where they worship, sometimes traveling more than 10, 20, 30, and sometimes 60 minutes!  

History has shown that the best way to reach new people is to plant new churches, but... 

What does that say to the established churches?  How can we begin to reconcile the framework of geographical boundaries that fit the patterns and lifestyles of former generations?  Generations before were not as mobile as we are today.  

 Foremost, stay focused on the most important matter -  eternity! 

As followers of Jesus, we must be constantly reminded that the division of territory
is not based in possessions or geographical boundary, but in spiritual kingdoms.  

Paul reminds us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  

EPHESIANS 6:12

Congregations and the members in them are in the midst of this dilemma. 

Where is our mission field?  

Around the church building? 

 In the neighborhoods where people live?  

In the places where people work?  

In the groups where people play and volunteer?
How much do I invest if they won't come to my church?

As followers of Jesus, 

we are called to sow seeds of faith
into the lives of people, wherever they are

and trust the Lord to bring the harvest,
knowing that HE will connect them to a community of faith
where they can grow and become seed planters in His kingdom.

When the nurturing of faith comes through a genuine caring relationship,
it is most likely that a person will want to be where you are.

I hear the words of St. Paul coming through loud and clear as I write this morning.  I can imagine that he is hot, delivering these words with every bit of conviction and passion that one senses in his writing:

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.  For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  1 CORINTHIANS 3:4-11

Our role is to each be about our assigned tasks and 

give ALL the glory to the Lord for any harvest that is reaped.  

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  1 CHRONICLES 29:11 

Jump in and share your thoughts! 

Kathleen Best Gillmann- Central Region

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands…
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world."
Psalm 19:1-3 selections

Not simply ancient Hebrew poetry, but the reason I paint!
If the heavens may declare His glory and proclaim
or acknowledge the work of his hands,
than so may I by reflecting that beauty in my art work."
(Kathleen's focus taken from her website.)

Kathleen credits teachers and other significant adults

 who went out of their way in her early years
 to spot "a gift" and take notice.
 Encouragement from a Girl Scout leader, 
elementary and art teachers, 
college instructors, even a calculus teacher,
 began to address that God might be shaping her formation.

She is well trained with degrees in Studio Art,
Art Education, and a Masters in Library Science.
Her life course included working across
a wide spectrum before she married:
initially as Christian School art teacher,
 then as the lead historical interpreter (tour guide
 for the Maine Historical Society,
in the business department of an architectural firm,
 interning 5 months in Paris for the
 International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS),
and as a Librarian for seven years at
Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA.
After marrying at age 41, she started a new direction in 2002.
Renewing her art skills through coursework 
in Fairfax County Adult Ed and the Art League in Alexandria
resulted in her creating a studio in her own home
and beginning to paint with professional intent in 2005.

Kathleen says:

"In recent years, since I often include reflective water in my art work,

 I have been building a reputation as a waterscape painter. 

 My artist's voice has developed primarily

 through the media of acrylic paint and pastel

 in the past nine years 

when I began submitting my work to juried shows. 

 I focus on themes gathered from frequent excursions 

outside and from my youth spent in New England. " 

 What brings her JOY right now is quiet, 
reflective observation of 
 God's hand in nature. . . .
Sitting still and watching a wasp consume
 pollen from a lily blossom
or a chipmunk scrambling about the fine branches
 of a bush in her garden while prudently gathering
 native berries for later consumption.
Her keen observation of God’s world
shows up in her work at the easel.
Across the years, she has discovered
 God shaping the details
 in what appears to be a winding path
 as a working out of his glorious plan. 
Upon reflection, she has noticed
 He has equipped her each step
of the way with new skills soon
 employed in her next endeavor.
 She counts it a privilege
 to serve the Almighty King. 

Locals may check her out here at the Lorton Workhouse:

And this show in the Richmond area:

Her current work is shown at three galleries:

Gallery 902 in Building W-9 at the Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA

Loft Gallery, 313 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA

Art League Gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center,
 105 North Union Street, Alexandria, VA

                                                                    Kathleen's website:

very best fine art

FB page: (a like would be great):
Kathleen-Best-Gillmann-artist


Kathleen's blog


We give thanks for all the ways that Kathleen continues to
 BRING GOD GLORY with her gifts and talents-.

 she is a member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Springfield, VA.

Connie Denninger blog writer

Carolyn Schuett- Southern Region

Reality: A New Normal for the Schuett Family

The glass doors slid open.  Inside was a whole new world - a world full of people who wish they weren't a part of it.  A world full of real people living real lives - the kind of people you never think you will know.

I am speaking of the spinal cord injury wing of the hospital.  This experience, like so many in life, is pretty impossible to understand unless you are one of the patients or family members inside those doors. 

On April 25th at exactly 1:09 AM, Carolyn and her grown son, Larry, awoke to a very loud crashing noise in their new home.  This was their third night there - boxes yet to be unpacked, rooms full of piles of their belongings.  They opened their bedroom doors, turned on the lights, and saw Danny (Carolyn's other grown son and Larry's younger brother) lying at the bottom of the stairs.

"I can't move my arms or legs!  I can't move anything."

Those were the only words he shared then, and when asked of his greatest struggle today, three full months later, he still replies, "I can't move my arms or legs.  I can't move anything."

This is the story of one family living under the cross, suffering a tragedy most of us will never understand.  This is the story of Carolyn Schuett and her two sons, Danny and Larry.

Danny is diagnosed as a quadriplegic.  He broke his neck between the C3 and C4 vertebrae when he fell down those stairs three months ago.  He is unable to move his body from the neck down.  His respiratory system is struggling.  He has a tracheotomy in order to breathe correctly.  At night, he is on a ventilator.  Just today, three months later, he had his first extended trip outside for 45 minutes.  He was able to see and feel the warmth of the sun on his face.  He was able to catch a little breeze.  Those seemingly small things are moments of joy for Danny today.

Three months ago, Danny was thinking about unpacking his belongings in his new home, going to work each day through a temp agency, and spending time with his mother and brother.  Today, his mother and brother spend every day from 7:30 am - 6:00 pm sitting next to him in the hospital.  They feed him, change him, roll him, lift him, push him, and love him (in the most action-filled love one can dream to see). 

Life is a new normal for Carolyn, Danny, and Larry. 

For many years, Carolyn worked in an office just below her son's hospital room.  She did secretarial work for nursing administration and medical services.  She saw the names of many patients come over her desk.  She saw families come and go.  She filled out forms for people she would never meet.  Today, she passed by that office on our walk together and said, "I should have listened more back then.  I didn't realize I would need so much of that information someday for my own son."

Carolyn's husband and Danny and Larry's father died in February of 2013.  For a year, the three of them provided end of life at home care to their cancer-stricken husband and father.  Little did Carolyn and Larry know, their experience would start to prepare them for this new life they were about to lead.

That is, if anything can ever prepare one for such a task.

Life is a new normal for Carolyn, Danny, and Larry.

"I don't know what people do without faith." Tears roll down Carolyn's cheeks.  She continues, "I know God's promises.  He doesn't promise us no suffering.  He does promise us His Son."  The tears come faster now.  I kneel at her feet with my hand on her knee.  I hear crying from behind me and turn to see Larry comforting Danny as they both cry. 

The suffering is great.  The burdens are heavy.

"I'm 82 years old now.  82.  Lord, give me extra strength." 

You can hear her thoughts -

"What happens to him when I die?" 

"How can I care for my son the way he needs?"

"How will God provide for us?"

"WHY GOD??????  Why him and not me?  Why can I walk and my son cannot?"

"I wish it was me."

The love of a mother.

Larry looks determined.  "When he comes home, Medicaid will cover 12 hours per day of a nurse.  I can do the other 12.  Is that a lot?  Do I wish I had some more help?  Sure, but I can do 12, because that is what he needs."  Larry has dedicated the rest of his life to caring for his brother.  Three months ago he knew nothing about breathing machines and lifts and bed sores and muscle therapy.  Today, he has a plan.  He learned a new language - a language of medications, tracheotomies, catheters, and technology. 

The love of a brother.

Life is a new normal for Carolyn, Danny, and Larry.

The new home they moved into three days before the accident needs some changes before Danny comes home.  A team from Messiah Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC, built a ramp outside their home.  Larry shows off the picture of the new ramp with pride.  Carolyn donated her living room furniture to make room for Danny's at-home medical room.  She has plans to remove the sliding doors from her deck for Danny to sit outside in his wheelchair.

Life is a new normal for Carolyn, Danny, and Larry.

Danny tells me,  "I have dreams about eating at Golden Corral!"  His brother adds, "Didn't you dream about vanilla ice cream on top of a raspberry doughnut the other day?"  They smile and share a laugh.  Recently, he has been able to eat banana pudding.  When I smiled and said, "Banana pudding never tasted so good," he smiled and his eyes lit up for a moment. 

Danny used to find great joy in playing church league softball.  He is an avid sports fan - The Miami Dolphins, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Bulls, and NC State University.  His face lights up when you speak of any of them. 

Golden Corral.  Church league softball.  Standing up to cheer for your favorite team.  The simple things. 

"What do you pray for, Danny?"

"That I will be able to move my arms and legs again.  That I will be able to eat again."

The humble prayers of a man who lies in bed and cries, "Why, God?  How could you let this happen to me?"

Life is a new normal for Carolyn, Danny, and Larry.

They hear the stories of real people who have defied all odds and moved again.  They meet the woman who became a nurse after her four months of being paralyzed following an accident. 

They were healed.  They walked again. 

There is some hope in those stories, for sure. 

A hope for healing someday.  A hope for a sense of normalcy.

But more than those stories, this family knows of the paralyzed man lowered through a ceiling to be healed by Jesus.  But before Jesus heals his physical needs, Jesus does the greatest healing for the man - He forgives him of his sins.  If you had asked this man or his friends or his family what his greatest need was, the answer would probably have been to walk.  Thanks be to God He knows our greatest need better than we do.

Danny, too, is forgiven. 

Danny was washed in Baptism at St. John's Lutheran Church in Lagrange, IL, as a baby. 

Danny received instruction in the faith at Ascension Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC, as a child.

Danny received the Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of his sins at Abundant Life Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC, as an adult.

Danny, even now from his hospital room, receives visits from his pastor in the stead of Christ.

Someday, Danny knows he too will be healed physically - on this side of eternity or when he comes face to face with his Healer, Jesus Christ.  But before Jesus heals his physical needs, Jesus does the greatest healing for the man - He forgives him of his sins.  Thanks be to God!

Life is a new normal for Carolyn, Danny, and Larry.

Here is how you can help them in their new normal -

Pray. 

For Carolyn, for Danny, and for Larry, we pray, Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.  Heavenly Father, we ask You to send the hands to care for this family, the resources to provide for this family, and the faith to endure the suffering for this family.  We pray for healing for Danny, and strength for Carolyn and Larry.  In all things, may your good and gracious will be done.  Amen.

Donate time and talents.

If you are near Charlotte, NC, consider donating meals to the family.  If you have medical training, consider donating your time for personal relief for Larry and Carolyn.  If you have construction experience, consider donating your time for remodeling the Schuett home. 

Give. 

A fundraising page has been set up for the Schuett family at this address: www.youcaring.com/schuettfamily.  Any donations will be helpful in providing nursing care, home remodeling, and purchasing updated devices and assisted technology to aid Danny in everyday life.

Submitted by Journeys of Faith contributing writer- Kelly Stout.

Linda Nicolas- Central Region

When God Turns the Tables

Linda Nicolas likes to be in control. “I do not like to ask for help. I like to be the one giving it,” she says. Two years ago, she had a full and busy life, serving in several groups at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (Springfield, VA) and as a military wife.

Until she got breast cancer, and everything changed.

“I pulled out of everything I was involved in for that year. I had to. I didn’t ring bells anymore. I wasn’t involved in the [military] wives group. Couldn’t attend Wednesday morning Bible study. I just had to pull out and concentrate on my health and not all the things that I used to do,” she says.

Instead, Linda learned to receive help, which was an unfamiliar feeling. “I like to take the meals; I like to take you to the doctor. And I had to let people do that for me, which was a little hard.”

But she can’t say enough about the love and help of her friends from church and the military community during her surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. “I had a terrific support group of people bringing meals, calling, [sending] cards, taking me to doctor’s appointments. I was blessed by all of those friends who were here for me. Because I was not alone.”

From the beginning, Linda never felt alone. God was with her.

 “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was never really afraid,” she says. “I had a peace, that there was a purpose why I had this, and that some good would come out of it. I didn’t know what God had planned. You never know who you’re going to reach through illness. I just felt a calm.”

At one point during her cancer treatment, Linda was admitted to the hospital with a collapsed lung. No one knew why—it was not a standard reaction to chemo and she had had no injury to explain it. Still, there she was.

As she was treated for the lung, she again felt at peace. “It is scary, but there was a peace in me that I had the strength to endure it. Not that bad things weren’t going to happen, but that I could get through whatever this cancer was going to bring. I was going to be OK with it.”

Just a month later, Linda was rushed to the hospital once again—this time, with a life-threatening reaction to a new chemo medicine. At first, doctors thought she had pneumonia, but the longer she was in the hospital, the worse the sickness got. She spent 9 days in intensive care with dangerously high fevers, among other symptoms.

“It was a scary time, because feeling so sick, I came to grips with—if  this was my time, I was ready. And I wasn’t scared. Everybody dies.”

Even then, Linda saw God at work. “What God placed for me there at the very lowest  time—and I could see it then and as I look back, I see it more—He placed many angels in my life while I was in the ICU. He gave me Christian nurses on the night shift, who came in and took care of me.”

Nights were the worst times for Linda, who was either burning up or shivering from fever, and had trouble breathing. On one of her lowest nights, Linda prayed, “I cannot do this. God, it is in your hands.” As she prayed, Linda says, “I felt lifted from all the prayers. Later, I found out that so many people were praying for me, that I didn’t even know their names.”  For the first time in telling her story, Linda eyes fill with tears. “Friends from different churches, different states, had reached out to their prayer groups, and lifted me in prayer. I didn’t even know.”

Linda’s health improved, and she eventually was released from the hospital. At her next oncology appointment, the doctor told her that the pneumonia medication she was given at the hospital wouldn’t cure the reaction to chemo that had been the real cause of her sickness.  Different medications were needed for that reaction. 

She recalls, “I said, ‘Well, I didn’t use any of that stuff. They didn’t give me that. How did I get better?’ The oncologist said, ‘I don’t know, it was just a miracle that you did.’”

The oncologist’s words were more evidence, Linda says, that God is looking out for her. “[He’s] using me—I don’t know how—but giving me the strength to get through it. I could do nothing. I couldn’t help myself. I was helpless—and God just had me there in the palm of His hand.”

Looking back now, Linda reflects on how having cancer touched both her and others. “You never know who you’ve reached through it.” Since then, she’s had friends with family members diagnosed with cancer, and because of her experience, she can empathize with them.

In addition, she’s seen changes in her extended family. “There’s kind of a rift in my family—my parents are divorced—but when I went back last summer, there was healing in the family that hadn’t taken place in 30 years. Whether it was just me being sick, I don’t know. If it was, it was worth it.”

When Linda talks about her experience, she often uses the words, “I don’t know, but...” She doesn’t know for sure what God’s purpose in her illness was, but she knows He was with her during her darkest and sickest times. She doesn’t know if the opportunities she’s had to share God’s faithfulness with neighbors, friends, and acquaintances will bear fruit—but she knows that without cancer, she may never have shared her faith with them at all.

“I was able to share my faith with people openly about what had happened to me—doctors, nurses, neighbors. Anybody who was asking, I shared. And normally, I probably wouldn’t have been so bold to do that.”

It’s been a year since Linda finished treatment, and she feels good. As she and her husband prepare to move from Virginia to Texas to be closer to their children, Linda know that her journey of faith is not yet over. 

“I’m still learning what my faith walk needs to be. There was a purpose going through it. You don’t always see it at the time. God reveals His plan when He’s ready to reveal it,” she says.

“The trials always make you stronger. Unless you go through a trial, you’re not going to grow as much. It’s going to help you 

grow.”

Jennifer Gross- Journey of Faith blog contributor shares Linda's story.