Lutheran Resources

LBW Servant Connections at the LWML Convention

Many of you work at a Lutheran Braille Workers work center, making materials available to share the Gospel of Jesus with the visually impaired around the world! Some of you may have worked with LBW in the Servant Connections area at the LWML Convention in Albuquerque. I wanted to share these notes from LBW President, Rev. Dennis Stueve and Janis Fisher.

LWML in Albuquerque
The women at the Lutheran Women Missionary League (LWML) Servant Connections in Albuquerque, NM were energized. What a wonderful opportunity this was for us to witness their love for missions and outreach to others.

Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW) had two projects at the Servant Connections. Our Large Print Department brought 2,900 calendars to be collated, punched and bound. All 2,900 were completed. Each month of the calendar has a scripture and a corresponding picture at the bottom of the page sharing the message of salvation. These calendars will be given to people who are visually impaired free of charge.

The Braille Department had two work stations equipped with Braille presses and plates to produce Volumes 1 and 2 of the Book of Jeremiah. By the end of the sessions they had completed 40 volumes to be sent free of charge to people who are blind.

It was good to see so many familiar faces and friends. Our thanks to the LWML for allowing us to share our ministry. Hope to see you all again in two years!

Janis Fisher, LBW Vice President Ministry Operations

Jesus Christ Above All

The primary work of every Christian is to be Christ’s agent of making Him known in a sinful world. There are lots of ways to do that. For Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW) that means reaching out with the Gospel to people who are blind or visually impaired. That mission spirit was very evident at the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League’s biennium convention as they celebrated their 75th anniversary under the theme, “Jesus Christ Above All.” I, along with many other Lutheran Braille Workers, were excited to join in the LWML convention and celebration. As always, LWML conventions are filled with joy, spiritual growth, and reconnecting with other LWMLers!

LBW was privileged to be part of the Servant Connection at the convention where participants produced Jeremiah and Lamentations in Braille and our faith affirming 2018 calendar in Specialized Large Print.

LBW also had an exhibit at the convention where many gathered and shared their stories and their connections with LBW. Almost every person I spoke with had some connection to LBW. Either they are, or were, Lutheran Braille Workers or their parents or grandparents were Lutheran Braille Workers! It was heartwarming to see these individuals share their stories with a smile on their face knowing that people who are visually impaired had been touched eternally with the Gospel!

LBW was also one of the ministries to be included in the LWML Mission Grants. Over the next biennium the LWML has pledged to provide $100,000 for the production of the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible in both Braille and Specialized Large Print. We praise God and give thanks to the women of the LWML for this mission grant that will allow LBW to touch the lives of people who are visually impaired with God’s saving Word!

LBW also hosted a breakfast on Saturday at the convention and I had the opportunity to thank those who attended for their support and commitment to the ministry of LBW. Others learned about the mission of LBW to reach out with the Gospel to people who are visually impaired who are often very marginalized by society. I noted that 95% of people who are visually impaired are unchurched and that we are called into that mission field.

Rev. Dennis Stueve, President LBW

I volunteer at the Tulsa Work Center and it is a lot of fun! Thank you for being involved in some way with LBW. An offering in your Mite Box will help a blind or visually impaired child of God receive the blessings of His Word.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth … (John 9:1-41).

Patti

Lutheran Resources

Where Love Abides

Please enjoy the photo gallery in this post. It includes photos of the production team for “Where Love Abides”, Donna Pyle, the audience at the taping, Mikayla and I, Debbie Curry and I, and finally the Texas District leaders that attended the taping of “Where Love Abides”.

Ambient noise check – Applause check, loud, enthusiastic, not so loud – No gum chewing – nod in agreement – show “ah-ha” moment facial expression – Don’t look into the camera. Ready to roll!

That’s what you heard as a member of the audience for the recording of the fourth LWML DVD Bible study by Donna Pyle titled, “Where Love Abides”. This study is based on John 15, the story of the Vine and the Branches. About 70 people were attending this event which the LWML Texas District hosted to participate as audience members during the Audio Visual recording sessions at Salem Lutheran Church, Tomball, Texas, July 21-22.

If you were in the middle of a speech and someone interrupted to say you needed to start back and correct something you said, could you do it? Not many of us could. You have to remember what you said, what your expression was at the time, where you were onstage, etc. It’s amazing to watch Donna and her production team work. This team includes two pastors backstage with earphones doing review of her speech as she does it. If they hear something that needs to be said a different way, they interrupt, conference, and she rerecords that portion. If the air conditioning vent is making her sweater flap, rerecord.

Other things occur like stopping to remove a stapler she had used as an example from the table where she stands to teach because it was reflecting on her like a mirror does with the sun. Duct taping fruit to the vines onstage. It can be crazy funny sometimes!

Crazy funny but crazy good, too! It never ceases to amaze me how you can study God’s Word and go over a story for the umpteenth time and the Holy Spirit reveals something you hadn’t seen before! I’m not going to tell you what that was. You’ll have to do the study and find out for yourself if you learn something new looking at this story of the vine and the branches again.

Filming winds up this October at the Gage Orchards and Vineyards in New York state. Thanks are given for the generous donor who gave money to finance this DVD Bible Study. I hope you will look forward to this study. It is visually impressive with beautiful vineyard shots and you will learn more about vineyard cultivation.

There are three DVD studies currently available from LWML. These are so easy for your group to do in any setting – church, home, groups or private study. The latest one is “Peter – From Fisherman to Fisher of Men”. Engage in Bible study! Be encouraged, equipped and enjoy! http://www.lwml.org/store

Enjoying my chewing gum!
Patti

Lutheran Resources

Peter from Fisherman to Fisher of Men

I am very excited about the new Bible study LWML has to offer, “Peter from Fisherman to Fisher of Men” by Donna Pyle. I have invited Donna Pyle to share a snippet of the Bible study with you here:

After Jesus’ Resurrection, imagine the flurry of new activity in the synagogue as men congregated to carefully scan the scrolls. The news on the street? The Messiah had been among them, was put to death, and had actually risen from the dead.

You can almost hear their questions as he re-read the scrolls:
When did God say the Messiah would actually show up?

Will God save even the uncircumcised Gentiles outside of the Law?

Are we still required to offer traditional sacrifices and offerings to God?

What does all of this mean for our gatherings and worship?

If we missed it, is it too late for us?

The teachings of Jesus caused holy turmoil in the synagogues. His disciples were preaching about salvation only through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. They rightfully turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).
Even though Peter denied Jesus at the most crucial time in history and tried to return to what was familiar, Jesus redeemed Peter and placed a life-changing mantle of leadership on Peter’s shoulders: “Feed my sheep” (John 21).

No longer scared and running, we see a very different Peter in the book of Acts. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter has been transformed from fearful denier to brave proclaimer.
The vital importance of Peter’s Pentecost sermon cannot be emphasized enough. God, through the Holy Spirit, set the stage and made all the preparations for this first sermon with a Gospel dispensation.
God had gathered precisely those who He wanted to receive the message that day. He grabbed their attention by enabling the disciples to tell of His mighty acts in their own languages.
The Spirit had been released.

Peter stood up.

Immediately, Peter reassured those gathered that those who were speaking in tongues were not drunk — it was only 9:00 a.m. Peter quoted from the prophet Joel to remind those devout Jews that God foretold the day of Pentecost. Those learned men would have immediately recognized the text that Peter recited and connected their present situation.

Peter did not mince words. Are we surprised? He gets straight to the heart of the matter and reminds these men that they themselves were the ones who crucified and killed the Messiah (Acts 2:23).
Peter reminds them that the heart of the matter is Jesus, because we only come to know God as He is through Christ.

Remember, Peter was not preaching about an incident that happened years or even decades before. Pentecost occurred only seven weeks after Jesus was crucified, so it is very likely that some of the people in Peter’s audience had actually been present.

The young carpenter who claimed to be God’s Son would certainly have been the talk of the town. These men would have known exactly who Peter was talking about. Perhaps they had even heard Jesus preach.

Peter was not just being intentionally mean by reminding the people that they had crucified and killed Jesus. God was using Peter to convict the people of their sin. Because when God convicts us of our sin, we realize just how much we need a Savior.

Peter continued his first Gospel sermon to let them know that all was not lost – that they are not lost. He quoted David from Psalm 16:8-11, that God made known to me the path of life.

And just like those men on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our desperate state, God invites us to confess our sins and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus through the waters of Baptism. And three thousand were baptized on that very day.

Can you imagine three thousand baptisms at your church on one day? What a glorious, beautiful day!

When Pentecost concluded, all of those newly-baptized, devout Jews traveled back to their home towns with the saving message of Christ on their lips.

Is it any wonder that God’s message has survived the millennia?

What is the significance of Pentecost for us today? We who have been baptized are beneficiaries of God’s goodness, grace, and mercy.

We are to be His witnesses and tell people what we have seen, heard, and touched.

Just like Peter did.

Donna Pyle posing with her new Bible study!

To learn how you can order this Bible study visit here http://www.lwml.org/bible-studies

Lutheran Resources

LWML History Books

While researching for an article I wrote last week, I was deep into the LWML history books:

  • Women on a Mission by Ruth Fritz Meyer, 1967
  • Women IN God’s Service, WINGS by Marlys Taege, 1991
  • Women In League With the Lord by Marlys Taege Moberg, 2005

LWML History Books

The first two listed are now out of print. If you have extras of these lying around the house would you consider sending them to the LWML Office, please? Also, if you are cleaning up a house of a past LWML member who might be downsizing or has gone to her heavenly home, would you consider mailing them in? It’s a great resource for those who are called on to write about our history.

Carolyn Blum

Carolyn Blum

Carolyn Blum, former LWML South Wisconsin District President, former Associate Editor and News Editor for the Lutheran Women’s Quarterly, past LWML Vice President of Organizational Resources, and 75th Anniversary Committee member has taken the job of writing the next history book.

Our LWML history is filled with changes. Even our beginning as an organization was influenced by the changing role of women in society. They were looking outside the sphere of the home and family to become more involved in the work of their church. Missions, foreign and domestic, held their interest. Caring and loving outreach were the interests of others. Still others, gifted as writers, ventured into writing Bible studies and devotions. Pooling resources and focusing on certain joint ventures enhanced the effectiveness of women’s outreach in their church body. Coming together as a national organization gave strength to these initiatives.

As our 75th year anniversary approaches, we must embrace changes within our organization to respond to changes in our church, family life, culture and soccer. (Yes, soccer games on Sunday is one of my bugaboos!) (I’ll probably get some angry emails for saying that!) (I don’t do Twitter!)

Where am I going with this? Oh yes! We have some big changes coming up in LWML. Be prepared, as we step out of our comfort zone and change something.

Through it all Lutheran Women in Mission will continue to represent the church in mission, the all-inclusive mission of serving their fellowman though the preaching of the Gospel and the practical application of that Gospel. May all be done to God’s Glory!

Lutheran Resources

Wake Up with the Word

Many of you do morning devotions faithfully, don’t you? A great way to start the day. If you are rushed and off to work, you may have the Mustard Seed Devotions that come into your work email daily from LWML. Those quick devotions and the ability to click on the Bible verse and be taken into the Bible to read more are a blessing to the start of your day. They are also a way to share God’s message by easily forwarding them to friends or sharing on your Facebook page. Sometimes they prompt you to remember to do something you’ve been putting off or have forgotten about.
Thanks be to God that He has put those into our hands and (into our computers). If you know someone who would benefit from receiving these daily devotions, please tell them about them.
There are some other “morning devotions” I’d like to tell you about. At our 75th Anniversary Convention we are continuing to offer Bible study before convention sessions begin. We call them “Wake up With the Word” and they take place from 6:45-7:45 on Friday and Saturday mornings. There are three each morning. No prior sign-up is required. This will be nice for you who are early-morning people or for you who come from the Eastern Time Zone and are 2 hours ahead of time during convention!
Here are the studies we have planned for you to enjoy.
Friday morning, June 23, 2017
1. An LWML Bible Study, led by Jan Brunette
2. A Spanish language LWML Bible Study, led by Marilyn McClure.
3. A CPH-sponsored Bible Study, led by Deb Burma.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

1. An LWML Bible Study, led by Janice Wendorf.
2. A Bible Study led by the LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces Chaplain Craig Muehler and Chaplain Steven Hokana
3. A CPH-sponsored Bible Study, led by Donna Pyle

Lutheran Women in Mission have always embraced the importance of being in God’s Word as the starting point of our mission outreach and service. I hope you have your favorite times and places where you delve into God’s Word daily.

In joyful service,
Patti

Lutheran Resources

Passing the Faith from Generation to Generation

Kay Meyer and President Patti during the Family Shield Ministries interview

Have you ever noticed how when you hear your recorded voice it doesn’t sound the same as how you hear yourself in your head? I always think I’m sounding one way and then when I listen to it it’s like, “Who is that?”

I recently had the opportunity to do a program with Kay Meyer, President of Family Shield Ministries, as she discussed passing the faith from generation to generation. I’m including the interview here on my blog for the next two weeks since it is a little lengthy for what I consider a quick blog read and I will be out of country for one of those weeks.

We talk about several things and I guess I really do sound like that! Thanks to Kay Meyer for inviting LWML to be part of her radio broadcast which is heard on 53 stations nationwide.

Listen to the interview here: http://www.lwml.org/media

 

Noted here are the resources which we reference during the interview:

Balance Bible Study Series from LWML:

Balance Christ Filled Family Living by Coreen Jander

Balance Christ Filled Living by Kay Meyer

Balance Christ Filled Living with Adolescents by Dr. MaryAnn Walton

The Bible study series will be great for your next women’s Bible study. It’s available through Shop LWML.

The Radiant Reflections booklet you’ll have to get at convention in June or have someone buy it for you!

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1Thess. 5:11).

Lutheran Resources

Welcome Lutheran Women in Mission

It’s a huge encouragement to me in my faith life to see so many women in our church who are passionate about sharing the love of Christ and who want to share that passion with other women. Through this blog we hope to provide encouragement to get you engaged with missions and with other women; to equip you in ways to promote and support mission work; and to share the joy of serving the Lord with Gladness! Let’s enter this blog world together and share our enthusiasm for Jesus! Let’s examine the mission that has led LWML for 75 years!
Here you will find resources and personal musings on a biweekly basis. This will also be a place to let your voice be heard. Share with me your ideas on how to effectively engage women in learning more about Jesus and about our mission grant recipients and their work among God’s people. We’ll also be sharing and linking you to resources such as 2-Minute Tuesdays, shareable devotions, updates on LWML Mission Grants, LWML events, and of course the countdown to the LWML 37th Biennial Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico! Many of these resources will also be available on the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League website. I look forward to beginning this new chapter with all of you. Together, I know we will be able to encourage each other in the work that we love! Please continue to follow this blog and share with your friends. Let’s start now! Subscribe to this blog by selecting the “subscribe” button on the sidebar of the Blog page.
Please click on the arrows in the photo above to enjoy the gallery which features pictures from my adventures as President of LWML and a mission trip I took to Guatemala.

Joyfully serving with you,
Patti Ross