Janet's Blog

My last blog listed ten things I love about my church.  I also mentioned that no church is perfect, so I suppose I could come up with ten things I don't like about my church, too, if I really tried.  You know, there's probably someone who rubbed me the wrong way at least once, or perhaps someone said something that I just don't agree with.  I'm sure I could think of someone whose lifestyle doesn't seem right.  And I bet I could think of a time when one of the pastors or other church leaders didn't quite measure up to my high standards.  It probably wouldn't be too hard to come up with another list of ten things I don't like about my church, since it is made up of imperfect people.  But, I'd rather not.  If we trust in Jesus, then God no longer sees our sin--he sees Jesus, and all that Jesus did for us when he died on the cross and rose again to take away our sin.  If God doesn't see my fellow Christians' forgiven sins, then why should I go...

No church is perfect, because churches are made up of sinful human beings, people who struggle every day to do things God's way.  Sometimes we seem to be successful, but often, we fail, seek God's forgiveness, and start over again.  The good news is that God is always ready to forgive those who trust in him, over and over, because Jesus has already paid the penalty for our transgressions.  When God looks at us, he no longer sees our sin; instead, he sees Jesus! My family attends Calvary Memorial Church in Gering.  Almost five years ago, our future son-in-law, Andy, invited us to come to his family's church, saying that he thought we would like it.  He was right.  Here, in no particular order, are ten things that I love about this church:  The pastors, church leaders, and people truly care about each other. The church leaders and members value prayer, and pray together every time they meet for any reason. The Bible is read, preached, studied,...

In every church, some people are there because they love God and want to worship and serve Him.  There are people who are hurting, hoping that someone will help ease their pain.  Some are there because that's where their friends are, or simply because they were raised to go to church every Sunday.  Some people attend worship services just to hear the music.  Some people are there because they like to critique the pastor's sermon, while others hang onto every word, hoping for real solutions to their problems.  Whatever our reasons for being in church, Jesus is there, too, ready to meet each of us just as we are. Some people dress up for church, wearing their "Sunday best."  Others wear work clothes because they attend church during a lunch break, or after working the night shift.  Some people wear the same thing every day, wherever they go, because that's all they have.  We see jeans and shorts, boots and flip flops, thrift shop bargains and the ...

Mother's Day--It was a worthwhile day. It started with Sunday morning worship.  I got to play bass for both services, a privilege which always brings me great joy.  Then, we went out for dinner with our three local children (and son-in-law, and grandson), as well as Bill's dad and his sister's family, and Andy's parents.  I appreciated the opportunity to eat together with my family, and I enjoyed the cards they gave me.  I got to hold Tobin while he slept, and then as he woke up.  There's nothing quite like holding a snuggling grandbaby, unless it's holding a smiling, sociable grandbaby. It was a beautiful spring day, a wonderful day to plant the pink geraniums that Bill and the kids got me for Mother's Day.  While I was at it, I pulled a few weeds and cleaned up some flower beds, while Bill turned on the underground sprinklers for the first time this spring.  Then, I took the nap I'd been longing for, finished a good book, did a little more laund...

When I was in high school, I was very active in my church youth group, called Walther League, at Grace Lutheran Church.  It wasn't uncommon for forty kids to turn out for Sunday evening activities.  We played games, sang songs to guitar accompaniment, had devotions--the usual youth group fare.  We enjoyed hikes and cookouts and hay rack rides.  We planned and executed contemporary Saturday evening worship services, which were held in the church basement, rather than the sanctuary.  We put together and performed skits based on Bible stories, and traveled together to Lutheran youth conferences as far away as Denver and Kansas City.  Overall, our youth group was viable and worthwhile, and our leaders were committed to helping us grow in our faith. When I was about sixteen, we started to hear rumors that a Christian coffeehouse was opening in downtown Fairbury.  We were interested, of course, so we discussed it with our youth leaders.  They were ext...