quire an open heart and a little time. Stopping to give a friend a hug and taking the time to listen to what they have going on in their lives can make a huge difference. Sharing your time with others, joining them in a prayer, even smiling and chatting with them about last night’ s ball game makes them feel as if someone cares about them. It’ s about putting their needs above your own. I find this small human kindness reaps rewards for both parties; we all need to feel loved and have someone who cares about us. Lastly we find ourselves closer when reading scripture. I am not a well-educated man and am certainly not a biblical scholar. I find some of the scripture very uplifting while other verses leave me searching for guidance on what it’ s all about. I try to let the Spirit into my heart knowing God will make his meaning clear if I listen. I read a daily devotional that provides some direction in my reading and prayer. I find this helps me explore the Bible and often provides insight I had not seen previously. I enjoy the readings and sermons each Sunday very much.
As we continue our journey on this path which God has placed before us I encourage everyone to stop, listen, feel, and think about what brings them closer to God and how they can continue to grow in faith and in our community.
-by Steve Case
I grew up in the Lutheran Church and attended regularly with my family. Typically, a Sunday included church and Sunday School. We would then walk over to Grandpa and Grandma’ s house for ice cream floats and chocolate chip cookies( made with Rice Krispies). The cousins were always present. The act of attending church was mostly just part of the week to me. After Bryan and I married and had our own children, we knew that we wanted to raise our kids within the church. We didn’ t know then how important our choice to come to Lutheran Church of Mahomet would be.