Ever Thankful

 Wrapping up November

 and some family thankful time.

 We were blessed to hang out

 with some of the Michigan troops.

 These amazing four young boys kept us hopping.

Their dads were with the 

Concordia-Ann Arbor football team. 

They had traveled to Kansas for the 2nd round

 of the playoffs in  the NAIA football after season.

(They lost- but ended with an amazing 10-3 season.)

Inside fun and outside play by the water.

Bunches of snuggles and cuddles.

Art projects and creative fun

and a meal with all sorts of yum.

Giggles and exploration.
Private conversations.
And just contemplation
 of all the great blessings.

Good gifts--
from one generation to the next.
Thank you God.

Evermore

Worship into the Week

Mark 13

The second coming of Jesus.

The one who holds my todays, tomorrows,

and evermore.

 And in these days- the Word of the Lord
 endures forever.
Art done by my friend- Pat Maier- 
for the Enduring Word Bible 
by Concordia Publishing House.

Worship in this week also included-
Thanksgiving Day.
Thankful heart centering.
Though heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13 gives strong warnings
 to beware of deception 
and to be ready for the return of Jesus-
 at any time.

Supplies:
Printables from Visual Faith Ministry
mark-13:24-37
Household junk mail 
and magazines
Colored pencils
Fine-point Sharpie pen

Be on Guard-

Visual Church Year Project-

November 18, 2018

 Lectionary B

 Mark 13:1-13
A reading for the end of the church year.
The field of study is Christian eschatology.
The branch of study dealing with the "last things."
It is the study of "end things,"
whether that is the end of an individual life, 
the end of the age, the end of the world,
 and the nature of the Kingdom of God.
Biblical texts from both the Old and New Testament
 look at the ultimate destiny
 of the individual sole and the entire created order.
This can include death and the afterlife,
 Heaven and Hell, the second coming of Jesus,
 the resurrection of the dead, 
the end of the world, and the Last Judgment.  
(wikipedia)
As I looked for a theme for this week,
I kept coming back to the fearful,
 anxiety-producing nature
 of all the end of age topics.
I loved finding the words-
Gospel Comfort for Fearful Souls.
That is the clinging spot for this week.
If this causes you to be stressed-
make it easy.
Time to engage in a watchful prayer life.
Stand firm-
and see that
 no one 
leads you astray.

Supplies:
weekly resource from the 
Visual Church Year Project-
visualfaithmin.org
Colored pencils
Magazine cutouts 
Scrapbook paper

Living Stones- Lutheran Educators Conference

The grounds of the Westin Mission Hills- 

Rancho Mirage, California.

Site for the 2018 Lutheran Educators Conference.

Desert colors and an oasis feel.

 Theme for the conference.-
1 Peter 2:5 

Found some Visual Prayer resources
 in the Prayer Room.
And an instruction sheet for Praying in Color-
 credited to friend-Sybil MacBeth.

Visuals ready to go.

Show and tell and the STORY.

2 Workshop sessions-
Here-Trying out Secret Code Prayers.

Found out that this crew of delightful ladies
 have a common visual faith encourager-
 Michele Schulteis- so we send a HELLO!
L to R- Connie- Visual Faith Coach
Laura Bredhoft-St. Paul's- San Diego
 Lori Lange- Bethany- Long Beach
 and Kathy Tucker- Bethany- Long Beach

 A beautiful site and a blessing to participate.
Thanks to the Pacific Southwest District 
and Mary Fink for the opportunity
 to be a part of this great conference.

Very thankful for all the new 
connections and the addition of 
 Becky Schumacher- Las Vegas,
 to the Visual Faith Coach team
and Kim Gilman
 to the Visual Church Year Project.

Enduring Word Bible-Parable of the Sower

Enduring Word Bible-#35

Matthew 13-

Parable of the Sower

After a visit to the Timken Museum
timkenmuseum.org/collection

 in Balboa Park in San Diego, California

 I was intrigued by this painting

 and got a postcard.

 This is the original in the museum.

This is the note about the painting in the museum.

Painted about 50 years after the Reformation.

So spent some time rereading Matthew 13

 and the purpose of the parables 

and this particular one.

Think the spot I am meditating on right now- 

is that in Baptism- 

we are given the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven.

That is a pretty spectacular gift- 

and not to be taken lightly.

There is great importance for parents

 to nurture and care

 for the ground where the seed has been sown.

It is part of the care of the the faithful.
Thank you Lord, for this great gift of faith.

Supplies:

Fine-point Sharpie marker pen

Colored pencils

Washi tape

Oh Give Thanks

Psalm 107:1, 8-9, 14-15, 28-32

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His love endures forever.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love

and His wonderful deeds for mankind,

for He satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,

and broke away their chains,

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love

and His wonderful deeds for mankind,

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

and He brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

They were glad when it grew calm,

and He guided them to their desired haven.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love

and His wonderful deeds for mankind.

Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

and praise Him in the council of the elders.

Dear Lord,

Giving thanks for time with family,

good health,

faith-life living,

a Resurrected Savior,

and food, clothing and shelter.

Be present with all those in this world who do not 

have these basic good gifts.

Father, let me find ways to share more

 from my abundance. Amen.

La Jolla

 There is something about 

the majesty of a palm tree.

Stretching to touch the sky.

 We stopped by to visit the seals 

and the sea lions at La Jolla Cove.

 Stood by this mama and pup 

for quite some time.

Fun to watch her bark at any flippered creature

 that came by-

and seemingly unbothered 

by the human bystanders.

Dashing waves in the inlets 

brought a lot of action to keep our attention.

We spotted a couple of hang gliders off the bluffs.

A fine day of blue water and blue sky.

 A bit of respite after a very full and busy week.

California dreaming.....

Give Thanks- for Great Leaders

We met in San Diego this week

 to honor the leaders

 who have left the Council of Presidents

 for the LCMS.

This is the list of those who have 

left the Council of Presidents.

There are 35 Districts and 35 Presidents

 within our church body.

With a salute and a prayer,

we share a  

and well-deserved send off to:

 Rev. Dr. Dean And Susie Nadasdy

Minnesota South District

 Rev. Dr. Dan and Judy May

Indiana District

 Rev. Kurt and Becky Schultz

Southern District

 Rev. Andy and Susan Dzurovcik

SELC District- (Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church)

 Rev. Terry and Marlene Cripe

Ohio District

 Rev. Ken and Val Hennings

Texas District

 Rev. Dr. Larry and Linda Stoterau

Pacific Southwest District

 Rev. Dan and Jan Gilbert

Northern Illinois District

Rev. Dr. Bob and Priscilla Newton

California -Nevada - Hawaii District

 Rev. Dr. Jim (and Mynra) Baneck

North Dakota District President

and Rev. Allen Anderson

Rocky Mountain District

(in absentia)

And we pray blessings and grace

upon you as you continue to serve in 

His Kingdom.

The Men in Black 
with their new jackets from LCEF.
What a fun crew of guys.

Veterans Day 2018

 Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

Point Loma, California 

 A moving place to visit

 for Veterans Day- 2018.

VETERANS DAY HISTORY

Originally called Armistice Day, commemorating the signing of the agreement that ended World War I at 11:00 A.M., November 11, 1918, this federal holiday was changed to Veterans Day in 1954. At that time, it became a day to honor all the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. This year is the 100th Anniversary. 

On the 100th Anniversary we also visited the USS Midway-
 commissioned in 1945 as the largest ship in the world.
It is docked at Harbor Drive in San Diego
 and was decommissioned in 1992.
 It opened in 2004 as the USS Midway Museum.
This aircraft carrier has 2,000 compartments and 18 decks. 

We learned about the incredible precision 

needed to land an incoming aircraft on the deck. 

When in service, this ship had 4,500 crew members.

The Chapel 

and the quarters of the Navy Chaplain.

 Part of the Communications center.

Bunks, storage, brig 

and the silver service for official hosting.

Truly a floating city-

1,000 loaves of bread daily, 

500 pies for dessert a day,

43,000 pounds of laundry weekly and

1,500 telephones on board.

This command center is shown 

as it was for the start of 

Operation Desert Storm.

Certainly a fitting observance 

to see the longest serving Naval ship-

truly America's living symbol of freedom.

41.