Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

Have No Fear, Little Flock   Have no fear, little flock; have no fear little flock, for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom; have no fear, little flock !   ELW 764   For many of us, though not all of us, this has been a very hard week.   For many of us, though not all of us, the path ahead looks frightening.   For many of us it looks especially frightening for the lives of the poor and m...

Jesus Cries with Us, Jesus Cries Out for Us Last Sunday afternoon Jamie, Laurie, Phylis and I sitting at a large round table visited with Anna, Ashley, Alison (from Panama), Fatima (from Venezuela), three little people, and a faithful member of St. Christopher Episcopal Church.   St. Christopher is a sanctuary church in El Paso, Texas, a safe place for migrant people to live until they can travel...

This is a special musical presentation of Hine Ma Tov with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Since I will be on vacation beginning Wednesday, this will be my last sermon before the election. This does not mean that I am going to tell you who to vote for. I will be voting tomorrow. Many of you have voted by mail, others will take advantage of early voting and others will wait until election day. The important thing is to vote. Leading up to this election the political ads have gotten to be...

This is a special musical presentation of I Know The Lord Laid His Hands on Me with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

How many of us have said that we really don't understand some people's way of thinking? Our culture today has many conflicts and/or paradoxes. It hasn't changed since the time of our Gospel lesson today. Only today it seems to be more polarized.           History continues to repeat itself and only we can be responsible for ourselves. The last verse of our Gospel lesson last week was "but many who...

This is a special musical presentation of Heart of the Nations with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Jesus has been and continues to be very pointed in what he is trying to teach. He is trying to prepare his disciples for his pending death and resurrection. Everyone seems to have their own idea of what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like. Jesus says it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God. He told them it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Most of us know what i...

In my study groups this past week, it was a challenge to discuss what some call as the big "D" word, divorce. Jesus chooses to take on the difficult issues that people face. Some of you may have experienced divorce personally or most likely it has been in your family.           My grandfather divorced my grandmother in 1952 after finding work out of town and another woman. My grandmother was left...

This is a special musical presentation of Send Down The Rain with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Today we are celebrating Michael and all Angels Sunday. This is a festival dedicated to the archangel Michael that started in the fifth Sunday in Rome. Michael is not a saint, but in Jewish angelology, he is one of the four arch angels who carry out the will of God. The stories about Michael center around war scenes which are battles between good and evil. The second lesson from Revelation today f...

This is a special musical presentation of Pray For the People with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion or disagreements on who we welcome. We have people, including Christians who want to define who to welcome. It is one's interpretation, but is the interpretation based on love or fear. The God that I read about and experience and see modeled through Jesus is about welcoming all out of love. I do not believe that we are called to be gate keepers to God's...

This is a special musical presentation of Whoever Would be Great Among You with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Revive Us Again with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Many of us have been through exit interviews. They are about how learning about how we were received. I wonder if we would ever consider asking the question, "Who do people say that I am? In other words how would people describe me. We would have to be ready for anything depending on what had occurred during our time of employment.   There are a great number of unknowns when we ask the question.  ...

In my husband's psychology practice, many had the diagnosis of Mental Retardation, now known as Intellectual Disability. Most of them were high functioning to the point, that one asked my husband, I hear people saying that I am mentally retarded, "What does that mean?" My husband told him that is was a level of functioning, but in reality, he told him that all of have disabilities. I believe that...

This is a special musical presentation of This Little Light of Mine with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Down to the River with the Sinful Sinners at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

For Not with Swords Loud Clashing Lead on, O King eternal! The day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest your tents will be our home.   Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song. Lead on, O King eternal, till sin's fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the sweet amen of peace for not with swords loud clash...

Last week I shared goals that were developed from the input that was received at our gatherings this past year. I need to let you know that they are still in progress and are being reviewed by the call committee. They will then go back to the council for final approval. You will then be able to see them in the Ministry Site Profile. The Ministry Site Profile was formulated and written by the Trans...

This is a special musical presentation of The Lord's Prayer with Tammy Heilman, Bob Nelson, and Deb Borton-McDonough at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

The crowds are following Jesus, but Jesus is throwing them for a loop again. Jesus is saying he is the bread of life that has come down from heaven. This can't be as he is the son of Joseph, and they know his father and mother. Now he is claiming to be God? The Judeans say that they know the truth. They seem to be so closed minded. This idea that this Jesus who they knew as a child and knew his fa...

This is a special musical presentation of Thee We Adore, O Savior  with Elaine Harrison, Kay Hillberg, Brenda Kopf and Ann Mayer on handbells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.