Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. (Thessalonians 5:27)
Subject: Re: Devotions for November 11, 2008
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:18:21 -0800
From: "Bob McKee" <pastor.mckee@gmail.com>
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Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:18:21 -0800
From: "Bob McKee" <pastor.mckee@gmail.com>
To: scvlp@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Devotions for November 11, 2008
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Dawn,
Thanks for the timely and encouraging word!
Peace,
Bob

On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 6:22 PM, Pastor Dawn Teuthorn <
pastordawn@saintjudes.org> wrote:

>  Greetings all!
>
> The sun has set and night has come; and yet I still want to write to you.
>  I pray this day you have had a sense of God's presence.
>
> I awoke this morning earlier than I expected.  My mind was whirling in a
> variety of directions:  concern for youth, a need for greater clarity as
> leader, compassion for members in grief, and other ruminations from numerous
> thought-provoking encounters.  Ever have a morning like that?  One in which
> you just feel overwhelmed,....in over your head?  As I feel a few shifts
> coming on, I reflected upon Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves of the El Camino Real
> Diocese sharing a youtube piece called "Did you know?  Shift Happens."  (
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqfunyCeU5g)
>
> As the video ended, feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness emerged as I
> wondered, "How can we possibly keep up?!"  She then showed a picture of
> Jesus naming we can't!!  Now, more than ever we need to center, find & share
> balance in our lives.   We long to heed the words:  "Be still and know that
> I am God."
>
> Life can get overwhelming.  We can begin to expect too much of ourselves &
> each other.  We can get deflated and discouraged.  We experience both, great
> joys and sorrows as pastors, intermixed... just like the cross and
> resurrection.  The longer we do the work, the more important it is for us to
> remember none of this is not about us.  It's all about God.  In God's great
> mercy, I lovingly was drawn to this text read from Scripture.  It was just
> what I needed to hear.  May you be nourished too.
>
>  *"We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living
> like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a
> nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to
> Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named
> "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what
> only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of
> nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to
> live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he
> would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself
> said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"*
>
> * **Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless.
> This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey
> Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's
> promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise
> and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he
> had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by
> trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The
> same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who
> brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The
> sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God."         The
> Message Romans 4:17-25*
>
> Yours in Christ,
>
> Dawn
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
>

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<div>Dawn,</div>
<div>Thanks for the timely and encouraging word!</div>
<div>Peace,</div>
<div>Bob<br><br></div>
<div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 6:22 PM, Pastor Dawn Teu=
thorn <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:pastordawn@saintjudes.org">pa=
stordawn@saintjudes.org</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0=
px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word">
<div>Greetings all!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The sun has set and night has come; and yet I still want to write to y=
ou. &nbsp;I pray this day you have had a sense of God&#39;s presence.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I awoke this morning earlier than I expected. &nbsp;My mind was whirli=
ng in a variety of directions: &nbsp;concern for youth, a need for greater =
clarity as leader, compassion for members in grief, and other ruminations f=
rom numerous thought-provoking encounters. &nbsp;Ever have a morning like t=
hat? &nbsp;One in which you just feel overwhelmed,....in over your head? &n=
bsp;As I feel a few shifts coming on, I reflected upon Bishop Mary Gray-Ree=
ves of the El Camino Real Diocese sharing a youtube piece called &quot;Did =
you know? &nbsp;Shift Happens.&quot; &nbsp;(<a href=3D"http://www.youtube.c=
om/watch?v=3DFqfunyCeU5g" target=3D"_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
=3DFqfunyCeU5g</a>) &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div><br></div>
<div>As the video ended, feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness emerged as=
 I wondered, &quot;How can we possibly keep up?!&quot; &nbsp;She then showe=
d a picture of Jesus naming we can&#39;t!! &nbsp;Now, more than ever we nee=
d to center, find &amp; share balance in our lives. &nbsp; We long to heed =
the words: &nbsp;&quot;Be still and know that I am God.&quot;</div>

<div><br></div>
<div>Life can get overwhelming. &nbsp;We can begin to expect too much of ou=
rselves &amp; each other. &nbsp;We can get deflated and discouraged. &nbsp;=
We experience both, great joys and sorrows as pastors, intermixed... just l=
ike the cross and resurrection. &nbsp;The longer we do the work, the more i=
mportant it is for us to remember none of this is not about us. &nbsp;It&#3=
9;s all about God. &nbsp;In God&#39;s great mercy, I lovingly was drawn to =
this text read from Scripture. &nbsp;It was just what I needed to hear. &nb=
sp;May you be nourished too.</div>

<div><br></div>
<div>
<p style=3D"MARGIN: 0px 0px 16px"><font style=3D"FONT: 16px Verdana"><font =
size=3D"3"><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12px"><font face=3D"Helvetica"><i>&quo=
t;We call Abraham &quot;father&quot; not because he got God&#39;s attention=
 by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when=
 he was a nobody. Isn&#39;t that what we&#39;ve always read in Scripture, G=
od saying to Abraham, &quot;I set you up as father of many peoples&quot;? A=
braham was first named &quot;father&quot; and then became a father because =
he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life,=
 with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, A=
braham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he=
 couldn&#39;t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made fathe=
r of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, &quot;You&#39;re goin=
g to have a big family, Abraham!&quot;</i></font></span></font></font></p>

<p style=3D"MARGIN: 0px 0px 16px"><font style=3D"FONT: 16px Verdana"><font =
size=3D"3"><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12px"><font face=3D"Helvetica"><i>&nbs=
p;</i></font></span></font></font><font style=3D"FONT: 16px Verdana"><font =
size=3D"3"><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12px"><font face=3D"Helvetica"><i>Abra=
ham didn&#39;t focus on his own impotence and say, &quot;It&#39;s hopeless.=
 This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.&quot; Nor did he su=
rvey Sarah&#39;s decades of infertility and give up. He didn&#39;t tiptoe a=
round God&#39;s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged i=
nto the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make=
 good on what he had said. That&#39;s why it is said, &quot;Abraham was dec=
lared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.&quot; But it&#39;s n=
ot just Abraham; it&#39;s also us! The same thing gets said about us when w=
e embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions=
 were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus<span style=3D"WHITE-SPACE: pre=
"> </span>made us fit for God, set us right with God.&quot;<span style=3D"W=
HITE-SPACE: pre"> </span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The Message Roman=
s 4:17-25</i></font></span></font></font></p>
</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Yours in Christ,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Dawn</div>
<div><br></div><br>
<div>
<blockquote type=3D"cite"><span style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helv=
etica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPA=
CE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate"><br><br><br>
<br></span></blockquote></div><br><br>
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