Pastor Hull and Sheila were right!

Back when I was in school, one of the tools I "had to" learn to use was CPH's Treasury of Daily Prayer. It was a busy semester and this wonderful book really required more thought and attention then I gave it. I always intended to go back and work my way through it again.

Surprise, surprise! I didn't go back.

About six months or a year ago, Pastor Hull mentioned to our Bible class how rich a blessing this book has been in his life. Sheila was listening, and ordered her copy from Amazon. Nearly every day since, she spends a good part of the day telling me what an encouragement this TREASURY really is!

You get a Psalm to read. You get an Old Testament reading. You get a New Testament reading. You get quotes from an old dead guy. Most of all, you get to focus on what Christ has done and continues to do in the lives of HIS people.

I worked with this book a while today. It can be a little bit complicated with all the markers, but… I love this book.

Presentation at Grace, Brenham

Melissa, April, and I

Melissa, April, and I arrived at Grace Lutheran Church in Brenham, Texas on March 21, 2013. We were the featured speakers at the regular meeting of "Texas Confessional Lutherans," the topic: What Is A Deaconess? How Can She Help Our Congregation?


  Mother, Sheila, and I left home at about the time we intended to. It probably would've been good to be a few minutes earlier, but things worked out. For a while, though, it looked like we were going to run late… The suspension system that makes my van wheelchair accessible was acting up: I imagine that this is what riding in a low-ridah would feel like.

At Zion, Tomball we picked up Melissa. Since April was coming from Katy, it did not make sense for her to carpool with us. We all arrived at Grace, found the room, got everything in order, and visited. It has been at least five years since I went to a TCL meeting, maybe ten. Both Mother and I simply don't recover from changes in routine like we used to. (For Example: since this meeting on Thursday, we have all stayed home. Friday and Saturday, my breathing has been more difficult. Beautiful blue bonnets and other wildflowers and trees are pollinating my lungs as well as everything else.) Melissa's presentation was an excellent overview of the history of deaconesses in the LCMS. She referred to two books than I am very familiar with. The first: was one of my favorites in one of my classes. It talked about how women served God's people, mostly in Eastern Christianity. Prayer, martyrdom, caring for the sick, caring for other women, caring for the orphaned, caring for women in pagan households, helping with baptisms of women, teaching… The list is long and varied. Then, almost 1000 years passed without deaconesses. The other book brings history into the 21st century, covering deaconesses in the LCMS. I absolutely loved these books. I loved the history. It was good to hear it again, and I think everyone there enjoyed listening.

 April and lost her voice and was using her computer to speak for her. A large part of her presentation was about her work at Krause Children’s Center in Katy, Texas. I had no idea about this vital work! Apparently though, the 70-hour work week and her deep love for the children she was serving took its toll. She's still volunteers there. Again, I think everyone enjoyed the presentation.

In my case, two mice didn't work well, so I had two manipulate the PowerPoint with voice recognition. It made things a little bit more complicated. It created several opportunities for humor. And yes, computers are processed. Anyhow, my presentation is here. I enjoyed doing this. It seemed to be well received, And there was lots of follow-up discussion . While I see a million ways to improve on it now, I'm content.

Thank You, Pastor McCain! "When You Do Not Go to Church"

Sometimes my inbox contains treasures!  On this extraordinarily beautiful, Texas Thanksgiving Morning I found a wonderful short article.  Pastor Paul McCain, son of my classmate, Deaconess Mccain, joined me in my discussion of why people want to be in church, whether they know it or not.

…  "Each Sunday is a gathering of the family – and when a beloved family member doesn’t show up for the family gathering and meal at Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving, there’s a hole, a gap, a pain that everyone feels. We’re all the less for that person not being with us to revel in the celebration of that day. Their absence diminishes the joy of the family…"

See the whole article here.

So…  The discussion.  I am still a little bit shy when it comes to talking to people about church attendance.  I know what a life line being in church has been for me.  Regular hearing of God's Word, receiving forgiveness on my tongue and in my ears in the Sacrament, and encouragement from God's People helped me through a depression that I never sought help for in any other way.  (I didn't really think it, or I, was worth that kind of effort.) Sermons, bible classes, Communion, and Christian friends helped me when I was well on my way to losing my faith.  They sometimes challenged me to think things through again.  They sometimes made me angry or frustrated, they often invited me to try and do things, they listened. The gifts that God gives through church are so important to me that I almost cannot talk about it.

Enter Real Life.  I have a cluster of cherished friends and a few beloved family members who see "going to church" as a major waste of time.  They feel it is like a third grade English class, the direction of learned it by now - after all, it is only ONE book.

So…  I firmly stuck both feet in my mouth and talked about it.  I listened.  I talked some more.  In some cases, I have been talking a couple of months.  In some cases, several years.  In three cases, over a decade.

I have tried "Law." Verses like Hebrews 10:24-25 (And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.) became part of my repertoire.

Granted, I knew that polishing a pew with your seat isn't the point.  I just know that God's Word is powerful and active, working changes in heart and life.  In church, God's Word is directly delivered in the preaching, teaching, and sacraments.  I want to be there when good things are handed out.

That isn't a sufficient reason…

I have tried "Gospel."  When Jesus said that HE would be president when "two or three" of us gather in His Name, that sounds like the most jaw-dropping celebration on the planet.

That doesn't seem to be a sufficient reason…

I don't know, any more.  At this point, if I bring up the subject anymore, I will drive these people that I Care so much about.  I think I will just shut up until THEY bring the topic up again.  Yes, I will continue praying and reading and learning…  But nobody gave me the role of the Holy Spirit.  Maybe the best thing to do is to rest and let HIM work.