A talk with Thomas Chaing on Sharing Enough

A talk with Jacob Hartzer on Acting Together

A talk with Annie Verzwyvelt on Facing the Truth

Who do you rely on when you are afraid?

Facing the Truth

Mark 4:37 - 41 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the seas, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Why is it so hard to MAKE IT SIMPLE? We face daily a complex world of our own making. We feel pushed and pulled by forces beyond our control. And when things feel like they are out of control, we often feel afraid. We become like the disciples in the boat with Jesus. We are afraid that we are perishing, tossed about by the "wind and the waves" in our lives.

Imagine being one of the disciples in the boat. When you decide to wake Jesus up, what would you expect of him? What do you need from Jesus in the midst of the storms of your life? Can you hear Jesus' question in the calm in your life? "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"

Jesus' question can lead us to hear the words of the psalmist found in Psalm 51:10-12:

Create in me a clean heart, O God and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Look at all that God does in our lives. Where do we focus? On the wind and waves? Can we focus instead on what God provides? And how do our choices matter or what we see?

Excerpts from ELCA, "Make it Simple" series

A talk with Sam Collins on Following Jesus

Introducing Dawn Wetzel

What a wonderful blessing we have to have added Dawn Wetzel to our church staff. My short interview truly does not do her justice. I strongly urge you to spend a few minutes dropping by the office sometime and talking one on one with her. She is a truly inquisitive soul with a great knack for getting people to open up and chat. In fact, I'm thinking about handing over my camera to Dawn for future interviews! My apologies for the mediocre sound quality. Hopefully, you can still get a quick snapshot of Dawn and what drew her to our congregation!

Abiding Love: Creating Space for Grace

Creating Space For Grace Are you ready...? Creating Space for Community I- Bible Study and Friendships “Women Alive!” began on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 with a book study guide and continues meeting weekly having already celebrated five years of fellowship and study! The Women Alive! Group meets every Tuesday morning at 7:15 — 8:30 a.m. in the Library. If you are interested in joining the next study, contact Joan Hokanson, 963-1708 or jhokanson@abidinglove.org This particular interviewee rambles a bit but hopefully his point gets across that we are a wonderful community and all of us contribute our part because of our love for Abiding Love despite any personal travails. Water to Thrive is a great example of our church's generous nature Creating Space for Generosity- Pastor Lynnae reflects on a kind and generous soul. Creating Space for New Friends. Our Sunday School is a great connection to the Children's Center Creating Space for Children. New Children's Center Director, Debbie Tonne, shares thoughts about making connections between the Children's Center and the Church and her reasons for moving from another center to take over at Abiding Love. Creating Space for Community Service. Abiding Love is full of people who volunteer in a variety of ways! Creating Space for Amazing Grace. Pastor Brad goes solo in this version,

Pastor Brad Highum!

Howdy y'all- I sat down and chatted for a few minutes with Abiding Love's new associate pastor, Brad Highum. He's a very affable man whose energy and enthusiasm really shine through, even on camera! Our new associate pastor spends a few minutes discussing Abiding Love's welcoming community, his sartorial selection as a metaphor for his personality, guitar pickin' and Don Ho's "Little Bubbles." Even in just a few minutes of conversation it becomes very apparent that Pastor Brad is a terrific addition to the Abiding Love family.