Month: November 2020

AboutDebbie, bloghome, Lutheran Reflection, Lutheran Women in Mission

Thanksgiving Everyday

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Well, that’s good to know, Lord, but could you share those plans with me?

We planned to go north to Bismarck, North Dakota, to celebrate Thanksgiving with my son and his family. But three of that household contracted COVID-19. They are all feeling better and I’m so thankful for the miracle of healing, but we were not able to travel as planned.

The LWML Presidents Assembly was going to be held in Lexington, Kentucky, in person. This would have given the 40 LWML district presidents a preview of our convention city and they would have toured the convention center. But COVID-19 cases are up nationwide so I made the
difficult decision to change our meetings to a virtual format. Our plans are not always His plans.

I don’t know the plans my Lord has for me or for my loved ones, but I can rest in the knowledge that His plans are always for the good of His people. Wow — that’s easy to say, isn’t it? It’s harder to do — to trust. Psalm 28:7 says, The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart
trusts and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. But I do trust, by the grace of God. Trust and my faith — both gifts from the Father — both reasons to give thanks.

It’s good to have a day of Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite holidays. But I think I’ll keep one of my Thanksgiving decorations out year-round, to remind me each day to give thanks. I have a vase filled with wheat stalks from my farm. My father is with Jesus and hasn’t farmed for a number of years, but they are still a good reminder of the gifts He provides and the harvests yet to come.

I don’t know when we will be free of COVID-19. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know that I have a Father who has sent His Son for my salvation and who has a plan for my life. And that’s enough.

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.

Psalm 138: 1a

Today, and always, we are surrounded by HIS grace,
Debbie

AboutDebbie, bloghome, Lutheran Reflection, Lutheran Resources, Lutheran Women in Mission, Missions for God

Sharing My Christian Legacy

Today is my 65 th birthday. I tell you this, not to solicit a response (at least not to my birthday), but to share reflections on my life. Sixty-five years I’ve lived on this earth. I’ve experienced much, cried and laughed often, and had many ups and downs. I’ve borne children and lost loved ones. That’s probably true for most of you.

I believe I was born to give testament to God, to praise Him in His glory, and share His Gospel each day with all those I meet. At the end of each day, I always ask myself, “What did I do today to share God’s love?” Some days I feel I have applied the opportunities He has laid before me and He may say, “Well done,” but some days I realize that there was little I did to share Jesus.
Each morning, however, God offers me another opportunity to be His ambassador.

As I reflect on my life, I think about those who do not know Christ. I believe God gave me the desire to share Jesus with others so they may feel the peace I feel, even when I mess up. Past LWML President Florence Montz (1971-1975) once told me she didn’t care if anyone remembered her name, but if anyone came to know Jesus because she walked this earth, that
was reason enough to live. I share the following information with you because I think it’s important.

LWML mission grants, chosen by members each biennium, share Christ’s mercy and Gospel message in our neighborhoods and around the world. I believe that a legacy gift, given through my estate plan to LWML, gives me the opportunity to continue to share Jesus even after I have gone home to heaven. I’m only 65. I may have many years left on this earth — or I may die
tomorrow. What a privilege to have a plan in place so that others can learn of Jesus! LWML has Gift Planning Counselors who can set up a plan at no cost to you.

Our LWML Gifts of Love Counselors, Linda Gage and Carol von Soosten, may be reached at (800) 741-4138 and would love to help you think through your Christian legacy gifts. Linda and Carol are employed by the LCMS Foundation and the LWML. They are professionally trained and have a passion for missions. They don’t make decisions for you. They just give you
information and guidance.

Also, right now, there are matching funds available to support the ministry of Gifts of Love. If you give to the Help|Love|Grow appeal by year’s end, you can double the impact! It’s a win/win.

As with any organization, LWML has administrative costs. But interest from our endowment, which has increased in large part because of the gifts given through estate plans, is beginning to cover the costs of operation. This allows more contributions to go directly to mission grants! I thank God for those who have remembered LWML in their charitable estate plans and for our Gifts of Love Counselors who have assisted them. Please pray about this and consider calling Linda or Carol for excellent guidance.

Today, I will strive to be God’s light and thank Him for the blessings He has given me. I praise Him for the opportunity to be His missionary now and into the future.

Today, and always, we are surrounded by HIS grace,
Debbie

AboutDebbie, bloghome, Lutheran Reflection, Lutheran Women in Mission

Just a Bit of Normal

Several weeks ago, most of the LWML Board of Directors met in Lexington, Kentucky. Yup, we met in person. We followed all safety protocols and physical distancing. Oh, how nice it was to get together and
have “just a bit of normal!”

What exactly is normal? Missionary Gary Thies often states that Christians are “not normal.” “Normal” to many would be believing only in what we can see and trusting only in what we can touch. Hebrews
11:1 says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

I guess I am thinking more about the manner in which we would “normally” be living our lives. We would be meeting together without physical distancing and greeting each other with hugs and
handshakes. We would be eating out more often and sharing meals and pews with friends and family.

We would be unmasked and our hands would not require as much hand lotion (although my grandchildren are actually washing their hands on a regular basis — a great improvement). We would feel comfortable when we are out and about.

It may just be that we need to consider a new normal, a standard routine of common sense: stay home when we’re feeling sick or feverish, respect the concerns of others, and check on the welfare of our neighbors on a regular basis. We could make being kind and compassionate the new normal. We could own our mistakes and forgive others for theirs. (I’m getting off track here — but isn’t that what a rambling blog is supposed to do?)

When I returned home after three weeks of travel (two weeks in Minnesota with my mother-in-law recuperating from knee replacement surgery and one week in Lexington), it took a few days to “feel normal,” to feel comfortable in my routine. It took doing laundry, making meals, waking up to the smell of coffee, and a roaring fire in the hearth to feel normal. I like routine. We all do. I pray our routine, our “normal,” includes time with God and time with each other. God bless your “normal” today!

Today, and always, we are surrounded by HIS grace,
Debbie

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