Association of Lutheran Resource Centers

Blog home for the Association of Lutheran Resource Centers (ALRC).

“I am about to do a new thing…”

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Karen Matthias-Long

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Have you ever experienced a time when different threads in your life converged and suddenly you saw some amazing connections between them? It happens to me sometimes – and when it does, I get goosebumps.

Make that God-bumps!

I’m in the middle of this kind of convergence of threads now – Something new is happening ~

Here are the threads that are coming together for me at the moment: A Renewal Enterprise, Unbinding the Gospel, God Sightings in the Northeastern PA Synod, and Going GLOCAL. For me – all of these things are about telling our stories; being particularly watchful for God’s movement in our lives, churches, schools, and communities; and, discerning where God is calling us.

THREAD #1: A Renewal Enterprise

Our synod has asked the folks from A Renewal Enterprise (ARE) to walk with us for the next year or two. They are helping us to focus on

Images of hope

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Catherine Fink

Feelings of loss have overwhelmed me this week.

In fact, those same feelings have been dogging me for months. As people of faith, what do we do with these feelings of loss and sorrow? An old movie came to mind yesterday that I think answers this question: Places in the Heart (1984). If you’ve seen it, you’ll remember the final communion scene. It is one of the best images ever of “a foretaste of the feast to come” which takes away sorrow and loss. This image gives me hope. It is what I imagine God’s table to be: the place where everyone is there, everyone is welcome, and God is present!

What is your favorite image of faithful hope?