Robert's Montana Musings

To Life!

2009-05-15T16:51:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings:

Throughout May we observe the season of Easter. On the very last day of May we mark the end of Easter with the birthday of the Church - Pentecost. Easter marks for us the renewal of life, new birth, new growth, new beginnings, the prospect of new promises. Winter cold recedes with longer days, warmer weather, and gentle rains; calving and lambing are completed, new calves, lambs, and colts scamper about, the grass is greening as our brown hills turn green again - new hope abounds with the arrival of spring.

Throughout Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb; the tomb is empty, sin and death no more have dominion over us. The power of God reigns. We proclaim this when we say as a congregation: “Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have the promise of new life, new birth, new growth, new beginnings; we have the promise of life eternal in the realm of God.

This past month we have seen expressions of God’s power, and Jesus’ promises to us. We baptized four children at Easter: Greta and Gunnar Smith, Dawson Lester, and Morgan Gates. Eight children received their first communion at Easter: Dawson and Rebecka Lester, Zacc and Mikol Degele, Trevor and Morgan Gates, Rae Lynne Barnett, and Johannes Chandler. This is God’s promise to us of new beginnings, new growth, new life in our church. Yet we also had two funerals: Bud Heinrich and Susan Askins. We hear God’s promise to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; we will be resurrected on the last day; Jesus will call us home to join in the heavenly feast with the communion of saints and share in the glory of God. These are the promises we believe and hold dear, for Bud and for Susan, and for us who remain.

Through his death and resurrection Jesus calls us to new life. The tyranny of death no longer terrorizes us. Jesus liberates us to celebrate life; we live a new life through his promises to us. Easter offers us the potential to grow in Christ and live fully in Christ. This is the power of God at work in our lives - new life - today, tomorrow and forever.

Our Easter Promise

2009-05-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings:

Our Lenten journey is leading us to Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Through Lent, we contemplate our human nature, our short comings, how we sin and fall short of the glory of God. We are given time for reflection, a time to repent, a time to turn toward where Jesus leads. Were Jesus leads is the cross. To be a follower of Jesus is not only challenging but scary as well. To quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was executed by the SS in April of 1945: “When Christ calls us, he bids us to come and die.” This is what is means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and as a disciple we are called to obey. Is this difficult and hard? Yes it is for us mortals; but with God, all things are possible. We put our reliance, our trust, our confidence, our faith in God’s promises to us through the words of Jesus Christ. Through Christ’s death on the cross our sins are forgiven, by Jesus resurrection on Easter Day we are given the promise of life eternal with Jesus in God’s heavenly realm. With the cross, Jesus takes the sin of the world upon his shoulders as he walks the Via Dolorosa on his way to Calvary and crucifixion. As he is crucified he prays to God to “forgive them for they know not what they do.” To the thief who asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom, Jesus replies: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” By Jesus’ blood of cross our sins are washed away, with the resurrection of Easter morning we are given the promise life eternal. This is where Lent is leading us. God’s love for us, and promises to us will unfold during the Easter Season. There is joy is this Good News for us and there is a challenge for us as well. The joy is we are redeemed, we are saved, God loves us and promises us life eternal, the challenge is our living this Good News daily. This life Jesus calls us to live, we do not do on our own, but Jesus is there with us each and every hour of each and every day on our faith journey walk through this earthly life. This is the promise, the joy and the hope Jesus gives to us.

Lenten Jouney

2009-05-15T16:46:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings:

We begin our Lenten journey with Jesus. For forty days we will contemplate how we fall short of the Glory of God. We do, we are very fallible, frail and fickle creatures of God’s creation, and yet we are baptized children of God. Through baptism we are given the promise that God is with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are named and claimed by God, as children of God. But as with most children, we are not as pure as the wind driven snow, we are not innocent creatures. As we contemplate our sinfulness, we can also contemplate God’s redeeming gift to us through the blood of Jesus Christ, shed for us, for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus bore the cross for us; Jesus died for us, so we might have eternal life in the heavenly realm, sharing in the Glory of God.

We all have different Lenten pieties; we engage in our Lenten devotions and contemplations in different ways. People give up something so they may give to those in need, give to the poor, be in solidarity with those who lack proper food, proper housing, clean water. Lent is not so much giving up as much as it is giving towards a cause or concern. So what form will our Lenten devotions take? This year we are sharing our Wednesday Lenten services here in Absarokee with the congregations of St. Paul’s on the Stillwater Episcopal Church and the Community Congregational Church. Ash Wednesday saw the participation of all three pastors during our worship service. During Lent, our neighboring congregations who participated in our Ash Wednesday worship services will be taking turns hosting and preaching at our Wednesday Holden Evening Prayer worship services. Immanuel will host the Wednesday prayer service on 4 March with the participation of Captive Free youth ministry and on 18 March. The Congregational Church will host the bread and soup fellowship and proclaim the Word on 11 March and 1 April. St. Paul’s on the Stillwater Episcopal Church will host and preach on 25 March. The offerings we receive during our joint services will be split three ways going to the following church service organizations: Lutheran World Hunger, One Great Hour of Sharing, and Episcopal Relief and Development. All three organizations serve those in need by providing food, health care, clothing, shelter, and spiritual relief. During our Lenten journey let us be faithful in our devotional support to those who are in need, who suffer loss, who are in pain.

After the Meeting

2009-01-29T12:50:00.001-07:00

Pastor’s Ponderings:

I am pleased our annual meeting went well and that we were able to recognize and thank all who contribute to the ministry and mission of Immanuel Lutheran Church here in Absarokee. Our call to mission and ministry is communal. No one can accomplish God’s ministry by themselves. It takes a congregation. We work together to carry out the ministry of Jesus Christ, not just in our corner of the world here in Absarokee, Montana, but throughout the state of Montana, the United States and the world. We can make a contribution and we can make a difference, when we work together, responding to God’s call to us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. When we do this - responding to God’s call to mission - our lives become vital, exciting, energized. God is working through us; we are the handmaidens, and servants of the Lord. God is a part of our lives, a living presence with us. We discover, our ministry is exciting.

Ask the ladies of the Faith Circle how they feel in carrying out their ministry: the making of quilts, offering Fair Trade Coffee for sale, knitting sweaters, serving the congregation and community at various functions and events. Ask those involved in caring for our church facilities, those who govern the church. They make it possible for us to carry out our ministry and mission. Ask those who educate our children and care for them. They are helping to teach them about the love of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ and what that means for them in their lives. Ask what it means for them as they live out the ministry God call us to each and every day.

But our congregation is more than a civic club, classroom, or craft center. We gather together every Sunday to hear God’s Word proclaimed and to receive the sacraments. We come and gather to feed, nourish our Spirit, to discern God’s plan for us and to live in community as the Body of Christ in the world. We gather to experience the love of God and be disciples of Jesus Christ. We do this together, as Jesus tells us: “Whenever two or three are gathered in my Name, I am among you.” We gather as a congregation and worship God together, because Christ is present in our midst, we experience the Holy among us. Strengthened and nourished by God’s Word and promises to us, we go out into the world to proclaim the love of God by our actions. Through the cross we are liberated by God’s grace and called to go and share God’s love with others. Being a Christian is not a static activity. Being a Christian is a dynamic, active and involved activity with others. Don’t be shy about proclaiming and living God’s love for you in your lives. You never can tell when it will make a difference in the lives of those we meet.

2009-01-06T17:26:00.003-07:00

The Third Christmas

2009-01-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

This is the third Christmas I have spent with you here in Absarokee. These past Christmases have all been unique and special to me. I have found Christmas here in Absarokee to be very rich, meaningful and spiritually rewarding. You all are the best Christmas present I could ever receive. You all have been so kind and generous to Susan and me. Your friendship is very much appreciated by me and it is an honor to be your pastor. As a congregation you fill me with pride and joy. Are we perfect? No, we will never be perfect. But we are responsive to God’s call to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ both in word and deed. There will always be work for us to do as disciples of Jesus Christ. Yes we live in a good community, but we can strive to make it better. We can work to communicate our ideas towards being a better community. We can continue to give of ourselves and care for each other, both friend and stranger among us. God calls us into relationship with our creator and calls us to be in relationship with each other. The new year opens up to us a new time to strive and work for the Kingdom of God. This is no easy task. God promises to be with us as we carry out our ministry here in Absarokee at Immanuel Lutheran Church.

I would ask you to prayerfully reflect concerning our ministry as a congregation; what do we do well, what can we do better? How can we stretch ourselves and grow strong in our ministry? How can we exercise our faith and reflect the love of God in what we do? What is our mission and ministry as the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church? Our mission, carrying out the call to ministry in Jesus Christ, is what will make us a vital and dynamic congregation, one where we excited and engaged in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the Good News - as Pastor Richard Hardell says: Christ makes life exciting. Our call to ministry is exciting! Our call to ministry opens to us possibilities, more than we could ever imagine. My challenge to us: lets be active, committed and engaged in our discovery of mission and in carrying out our ministry. Let that be our goal for the upcoming new year.

Thank you for all your kindness and love shared with Susan and me this past year. May God bless you and bestow upon you his gracious love and boundless mercy.

Advent is upon us - What are you doing about it?

2008-11-26T21:36:00.004-07:00

Pastor’s Ponderings:

Thanksgiving is behind us and we are now in the season of Advent. We await the coming of the Christ child. This is a bookend of sorts to the Sundays we had before Advent, culminating in Christ the King Sunday, where we await Christ’s return to us. The commonality: we are waiting for Jesus to come. The question: what do we do until he comes? There is a bumper sticker that states: Jesus is coming - look busy. But Jesus does not want us to just go through the motions, or to be ecclesiastical accountants and check off our virtuous deeds from a ledger list. Jesus calls us to be kingdom builders; we are to live out our Christian vocation. We live as we have been trained to live through our attending worship, studying of scripture, meeting in fellowship with each other, discerning our mission, our purpose in life. Jesus gives us that purpose, that direction, and the mission. Our call to follow Jesus and be kingdom builders is like the air we breath. We are unconscious of it, we do it naturally, because following Jesus is the integral fabric of our life. We did not come upon it naturally, our vocation as Christians is caught, as much as it is taught.

We are given the opportunity to be kingdom builders. In America and the world, the financial crisis is making itself felt in ways that we would never have imagined. We don’t have to live in Detroit, New York, or Los Angeles, to feel the pain many Americans are now experiencing. The shot across our bow was the notice of layoffs to the Stillwater Mine employees. People we know are affected by this. Cattle and wheat prices are falling from their historic highs of a year ago. Credit for businesses, the purchase of cars and trucks, the purchasing of homes or building of homes is drying up. Our economy is slowly winding down, locally and nationally. Unemployment is creeping up. Internationally, many still are in poverty, suffering from lack of adequate nourishment, housing, energy, education; many places are decimated by AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. Natural disasters both here and abroad leave people destitute and homeless. The harvest is indeed great, and the laborers are few. But we few laborers can make a difference. We build the Kingdom of God, one step at a time, one action at a time. During this season of Advent, I call upon us as workers in the kingdom to gather canned goods and other food items for Project Hope in Columbus. This is a time when food pantries all over this country are stretched to the limit. Project Hope is our only local source where those in need can go and receive help. This is the time of year when the shelves are bare. Help us restock and resupply the shelves of Project Hope. This is also a good time to go through your closet. Are there clothes you have not worn for two or three years? Are you ever going to wear them again? If this is the case, donate your old clothes to Project Hope. Through the selling of these donated clothes, Project Hope offers good clothing at reasonable prices to those who are unable or can’t afford to shop in a retail store. The proceeds from the sale of these donated clothes helps run the store, helps those needing shelter, with temporary housing at the cabins in Columbus on Pike Avenue. On the global level, the Faith Circle is planning on a fund raiser to support Lutheran World Hunger. We have many opportunities to help build the Kingdom of God. It starts with our exercise of our Christian vocation. What will be our first step in helping build and bring about the Kingdom of God?

Its Thanksgiving Time

2008-10-30T14:04:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings:

November is upon us and I wonder where the year has gone. Planning ahead is not my forte; I am quite good about maintaining a weekly routine, but life in the church requires some forethought. Yearly calendars do give me a head’s up for what is coming and I think about what needs to be done by a given event or season. But there are the little details, the steps I need to take between now and then that I tend to procrastinate and ignore until the eve of the event or season. I am good at organizing material, getting Advent devotionals, candles and candle holders, bulletin covers. But when it comes to organizing people to assist or participate, I encounter a personal aversion to ask or plan with others. I am very introverted and am quite happy with the dialogue that goes on in my head; in the end everything comes out my way. The church is composed of many individuals; if we are to be a viable entity, we need to gather and offer our inputs of advice, time, talent. I need to be better at asking for your advice, time, talents and help. There are some activities I really enjoy doing in the church. I like to shovel snow; I like to make our fellowship coffee; I like to change the paraments, change the candles, edit the bulletin and create the Immanuel Herald. We have many generous and giving people here at Immanuel. I honor your offering of time, talents and ideas. I need to be better at the sharing of tasks that others like to do for the church. I need to be better at asking others to join in offering of their gifts, their time and talent. I want to provide a sense of ownership of this congregation for others.

Yes, I like changing the paraments and organizing communion, this is a sacred service and others should be invited and welcomed in providing this service to the congregation. An active Altar Guild for Immanuel Lutheran Church would be a welcome ministry, serving this congregation. I would be happy to teach and explain why we do the things the way we do. Yes, Katrin and Susan do a wonderful job with Christian Education for our young ones. They would welcome others to come join with them in teaching our young ones about the Love of God and the joy we have in Jesus Christ. Yes, we have Lori to clean our facilities every week and she does a great job, but the idea of having a Sunday Sexton or Church Warden, to come earlier on Sunday to turn on the lights, the sound system, to make sure everything is ready for Sunday services would be another welcome service for a group of people to perform. We are all capable of offering our gifts for the ministry and mission of Immanuel Lutheran Church. This is part of our offering, our returning to God what is God’s in thanksgiving for all God does for us. We gather together to worship, to form a faith community, to care for each other, to go out and proclaim God’s grace and love to others. We all have gifts to offer and share. Help me in the sharing of the gifts of ministry and mission. Do not be afraid to offer me your ideas, your time, your talents. You are offering them not to me; you are offering them to God. Thanks Be to God!

Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison

2008-10-05T13:15:00.002-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings

This has been a trying week for the students of Absarokee High School as they come to grips with the suicide death of one of their fellow classmates. They have had to work through grief, anger, loss and pain. The Absarokee school administration was proactive in bringing in counselors, social workers as well as area pastors to help students, staff and faculty process through this tragic event in our community. After the funeral the reminders of loss will still be evident to the students even though they are starting to move on from this event. Our care and concern cannot ebb after the funeral. We will all need to have a greater sensitivity to the emotional needs of the youth in our community. In the next three to six months statistical evidence shows others may attempt suicide. Emotions may come to the surface that an individual thought were dealt with, for no explained or apparent reason. Being an adolescent is difficult enough, but with an event such as a suicide brought into the emotional mix, the volatility of adolescent youth can become even greater. In Montana we are very vulnerable to suicide; Montana ranks first in the country in suicide deaths per capita. When do we say: enough is enough? When do we take a greater proactive approach to the care of those who are the least significant, the ones lost on the fringe and those who feel they are of little value? We are also at a disadvantage because we are geographically isolated, money for proper mental health care is scarce, and there is a stigma attached to seeking help for emotional issues. We cannot be afraid to discuss this problem with each other. We cannot ignore our neighbor in emotional distress. We are a community and God calls us to care for our neighbor and to look out for our sister and brother. Christianity is not so much a belief, but acting on our faith through action. We will be known by the fruits of our faith. We are not called to be passive Christians but active, living out our faith.

If you need to reach out for help please contact myself, or online at www.warmline.org or you can call 1-800-273-8255(TALK). With the 1-800 number, you place your request to speak with someone, leave a phone number where you can be reached and a call is placed to you. Do not be afraid to offer your concerns to the person who you think is stressed to the breaking point. Offer to go with them for help; listen to them, be present with them during their time of trial. We are all in this together, neighbor caring for neighbor.

Teach Your Children Well...

2008-09-03T21:14:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings

Another school year has started here in Absarokee; the school yard is again filled with children running and playing before the start of school. After the bell rings, I’m sure they gather in their classrooms and diligently begin the serious task of learning.

So how do we as a congregation help the younger members, as well as ourselves, learn? Martin Luther was very emphatic that youngsters be taught, not just reading and writing, but also The Lord’s Prayer, the creeds, the sacraments, the scripture and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since Luther’s time, Lutherans have continually emphasized the role of education in the formation of faith for both young people as well as adults. Luther developed the Small Catechism for parents so they could teach their children. Luther is onto something here. Parents instruct their children in many and subtle ways, more so then they could ever imagine. Children begin to learn from their parents as soon as they are born. Parents set the patterns of life for their children, they set the boundaries, they help develop discipline and habits their children take with them as they enter into adulthood.

If children are to develop in the Christian faith, do they see examples of adults living their faith, whether they be their parents or members of the congregation. The parents are the prime educators and developers of faith in their children, the congregation also teaches by example as well. Do we as parents or as members of the congregation - do we faithfully provide examples, role models of living a life of faith? As a family, do we pray together, worship together, read and study scripture together. If we as parents do not take our faith life seriously, how do we expect our children to develop their faith?

What I am suggesting is not new; read the charge to parents in our baptismal liturgy (page 228 in the ELW). These are promises we made before the congregation, but they are promises we make to God. God who blesses us with children and places them in our care. We as a congregation are called to work with parents and families to help them in handing on the faith to another generation. We can accomplish more working together than we can accomplish alone. As a congregation, we can support parents in their efforts of passing on the faith to their children. Faith is caught not taught. How do we measure up? Are we willing and able to provide help in Christian Education by being a Sunday School teacher, by being a mentor to the youth of our congregation, by participating in activities with our youth?

For parents and the congregation, this is a daunting task. But with God, all things are possible. We are engaged in living and learning about our faith so we can grow in our relationship to God and live as God calls us to live with each other. We care for each other, we look out for each other, and we support each other in bringing children to church and involving them in the development of their faith life. It is not easy in this world that we live. The devil is in the details and distractions of life. Only together can we resist the devil and all his empty promises and temptations. Only together can we provide a strong faith foundation to serve children well throughout their lives. Only together can we strengthen each other on our faith journey through this temporal life.

Swiftly Flow the Days of Summer

2008-08-09T10:18:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings for August:

The summer is quickly flying by. Susan and I have been engaged in a lot of summer activities in and around Absarokee, activities such as Absarokee Days, Fishtail Fun Days, 4th of July activities and time with the many friends we have made here. But summer is ticking by and soon school will start and we will be getting into our fall routines. But until then, we can enjoy these last sunny, warm, lazy days of summer.

One item I would like to report to the congregation - the trustees of St. Olaf Lutheran Church have asked me to conduct services for them in July, August and September. With the permission of Immanuel Lutheran Church Congregational Council, I conducted my first Sunday service at St. Olaf with communion of Sunday, 27 July. There were about 22 of us in attendance with lunch fellowship in the basement afterwards. We did not have a musician on the reed organ or piano, so I selected hymns with familiar melodies. St. Olaf itself provided great accompaniment by offering great acoustics with its beautiful arched ceiling. The August service will be on the 17th at 1:00 pm., on 21 September, St. Olaf will hold their annual blue grass service at 2:00 pm.

I am honored to be asked to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ at this historic little country church. I am also excited about this opportunity to offer to the residents of the Red Lodge and Volney Creek valleys, God’s message to them and God’s love for them through the Holy Meal of Communion. Opportunities to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ are not to be dismissed or glossed over. We are all called to be a witness of Christ in our lives; we are given countless opportunities to share God’s love with each other, through our Christian vocation. We do not have to wait for an invitation to proclaim the Good News, or a venue from which to preach; we can proclaim God’s love for us by our deeds - how we care and respond to each other. Our deeds will count more than our words. Our deeds will mark us as Christians who live God’s word. Do not underestimate you ability to proclaim the Good News; through the power of relationship, we interact with our fellow members of the community and those we meet as we engage life’s activity. We can make a difference - we may never know when, or how, or upon whom, but through our actions, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can make that difference in someone’s life.

Let the Good News of Jesus Christ make a difference in someone else’s life as it has in yours. Let the expression of your Christian vocation shine forth from you - do not hide the light of Jesus Christ under a bushel, let it burn bright through you so others my see, rejoice and give glory to God.

Lutheran Revival = Oxymoron?

2008-08-09T10:15:00.002-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings for July:

This last weekend in June, Immanuel Lutheran Church, St. James Lutheran Church, Joliet Lutheran Church and Messiah Lutheran Church, are sponsoring and participating in a first in the Montana Synod - a Lutheran Church Revival. If this sounds like an oxymoron, it may be because this is indeed a very rare occurrence in these parts. The revival is not so rare, but a Lutheran revival is. In Baltimore, the church Susan was called to serve as a deacon - Peace Lutheran Church - did have revival services outside on their lawn. Their revival is a witness to the suburban community of the confessing and professing faith of the congregation of Peace Lutheran Church of Glen Burnie.

This is no different here for us in Carbon and Stillwater Counties of Montana. We gather together and confess our faith, renew our Lutheran heritage and spirituality, and profess to this area of south central Montana our Christian convictions as Lutherans. At this revival we will not try to become Baptist or Pentecostals - but rather we witness to our being Lutheran. On Saturday we have a baptism with a remembrance of baptism offered to all. On Sunday we offer Holy Communion with healing prayer and prayers for the world. The services will offer both Word and Sacrament; the form of the service is the fourfold structure of Gathering, the Word, the Meal, and Sending that we are all familiar. If any Lutheran were to stop in for this service they would feel right at home. The only difference is that the service will be outside along Hwy 212 just north of Red Lodge. It is a public witness of our faith in Jesus Christ. It is a public testimony of our convictions, of our faith, and of our Love of God.

I hope many are able to come and participate. It is good for us to get out and engage in expressions of our faith in different venues of worship. This cross pollination offers us a refreshing way to renew our faith, to expand upon how we offer worship at Immanuel, to engage us in a renewed sense of our call to mission and ministry. Come and see what is possible; come and see, come and experience a renewal of our Lutheran spiritual heritage, come and participate in worship and praise God, come and share the love and call of Jesus Christ to and for us.

Be God's watering can

2008-05-31T08:23:00.001-06:00

Pastor’s Ponderings

As we enter into late spring we have been blessed with bountiful and refreshing showers and with cool weather. I am looking forward to the greening of creation here in the valleys and on the hills as the dry earth responds to this life giving rain and warm sun.

Late spring also heralds the arrival of our friends who come to enjoy summer here in the valleys of the Rosebud and Stillwater Rivers. We welcome them as we see them in Absarokee or Fishtail and give thanks and praise that they join us in worship at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday. We very much enjoy the fellowship of our “summer bird” friends here at Immanuel and we joyfully welcome them.

But there are many people in our community who are like the dry ground before the rains came this spring. They are parched and they desire the life renewing moisture of God’s baptismal promise. We can be like the rain the refreshes, revives and renews God’s creation. By our welcoming and engaging those in our community who are seeking a spiritual renewal, seeking spiritual refreshment we are like the rain that can nourish, sustain and grow people who are spiritually dried up. To paraphrase Paul in 1 Corinthians: we may water, but God gives the growth. Let us be faithful in our being a blessing to others, being the water that sustains and refreshes those who are thirsty for the Word of God, thirsty for a community and fellowship. A community proclaiming the Gospel by living the Gospel. The baptismal font holds the water, we spread the life giving waters around to others so they may not thirst.

I would ask each one of you to reflect and contemplate how we can share this life giving gift with others. How can we at Immanuel be more inviting? How can we be helpful to those who come, who may not have grown up in a church, let alone a Lutheran church? In many ways we do a good job in welcoming others; we are friendly; we joyfully engage in worship through song and our participation; we reach out, in, with, and through the Love of God to each other. This is truly a precious and gracious reflection of our faith and Love of God. We can always work at improving and fine tuning what we already do well. We should never be content with “good enough” we should always ask ourselves: is this the mission and ministry God calls me to, and is this the best I can do? By the grace of God we are always given another chance, another opportunity to respond to God’s love in our life. Jesus will continue to reach out his hand to us and bid us to go out and be faithful disciples to each other, each and every day, through the gifts God has so blessed each and every one of us.

Go out and be God’s watering can to those who are parched, thirsting for God.

May Pastor's Ponderings

2008-04-25T14:46:00.001-06:00

The second Sunday in May, we will celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church. The early church received the gift of the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of flame and wind. Spirit in Greek is pneuma and this is the word of origin for pneumonia, pneumatic; this relates to breath, wind; a force that is unseen, yet felt and experienced. On Sunday, 11 May, we will celebrate this gift given to us through Baptism and when ever we experience or encounter God in our lives. We welcome this gift and we gather to help each other discern our experience of this encounter with the Holy Spirit in our lives. Because it can be a puzzling and troubling experience for us, we seek help from others who have encountered this experience to help us fathom what it means for us. Through Holy Scripture and prayer, we help each other discern if we have truly received an experience of the Holy Spirit. Satan can deceive us and can be equally adept at manipulating our experiences as God can (see Mt 4:1-14 and Lk 4:1-13, the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness). So we need to be vigilant and seek each other out to discern if indeed God is working with us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lutherans have never been to keen on emphasizing the power of the Holy Spirit. Our experience of the Holy Spirit can be a very emotional one. Lutherans have never been prone or comfortable with ecstatic emotional experiences or manifestations of the Holy Spirit at work in, with and through us. We have been very heady, intellectual in our approach to the Holy Spirit; this limits our intimate, emotional connection with God. Yes our intellect is a gift from God and a part of our life, but we are also gifted with an emotional component as well. This intellectual gift can be abused and misconstrued just as the emotional gifts we receive. We as a gathered assembly of the faithful pray for discernment as to the truth of the revelations we receive from the Holy Spirit using both our intellect and our emotions. To deny our emotional side of our encounter with God is to limit our experience of the Holy in our lives. If we reflect upon how we live life, we experience life through our emotions, more so than of our intellectually analyzation of life’s experiences. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us: “I came that they (we) may have life and have it abundantly.” Part of that abundance of life is our experiencing all life’s encounters – both intellectual and emotional; this leads to an abundant, rich life. We have the Word of God to study, reflect and ponder over; we have this gift of the Holy Spirit to enrich and profoundly touch us. When we encounter the Holy Spirit, we are changed, we are enriched, we experience God loving us. Let us celebrate on Pentecost with joy and affection this gift of love, this gift of the Holy Spirit.

April Pastor's Ponderings

2008-03-24T13:01:00.002-06:00

one

Liturgy translated from the Greek means: work of the people. It is my desire to see more of the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church involved in the liturgy of the church. The “Prayers of the Church” are to indeed come from the people, members of the Church, not just the pastor.

With the start of Easter, the laity offered the “Prayers of the Church”. I will have the prayers printed, ready for you to offer to the congregation in prayer. But there is a place during the prayers where we are invited to offer our own petition or intercession. I would invite the one who is praying to offer an intercession that addresses our concerns and is part of the context of our lives here in Absarokee, Montana - Stillwater County. If you can not offer one or are uncomfortable in offering extemporaneous prayer, that is OK. Our ability to offer public prayer intercessions is an activity to be nurtured and learned. It does not come to us like a bolt out of the blue.

I would also welcome others to participate in the Kyrie at the beginning of our service. We have many fine voices that can be lifted up to God in worship, not just mine. Participating in our liturgy gives life to our worship; it is an expression of our love of God and our love of the faithful assembly. This is a joy to be shared and offered to others who gather not just to the pastor alone. We worship God together.

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Amos 8:11 - The time is surely coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send a famine on the land;
not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.

That famine exists with us today. There are people who are hungry for the words of the Lord. But how are they to hear the words of the Lord? We invite them to come and hear, to come and see for themselves how the words of the Lord – in word and deed – can feed the hunger of those seeking spiritual nourishment. I will do my best to offer spiritual nourishment to those who hunger the words of the Lord. But I can not do it on my own. You, the people of Immanuel Lutheran Church – I rely on you to invite; I rely on you also to offer the word of the Lord to those around you in your life. The nourishment and joy you receive – proclaim and share it with others. You are indeed God’s messengers of the Good News.

We have just celebrated Easter: the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Through the blood of the cross we are redeemed, liberated from the bonds of sin. Through the resurrection we have the promise to us of life eternal, sharing in the Glory of God. This is indeed Good News for us. This news is too wonderful to be hoarded, covered up or ignored. We are nourished so completely by the word of God. The joy of engaging the words of the Lord are so boundless that hoarding them makes no sense, but rather we share, we proclaim the Good News – the joy of hearing the words of the Lord and what this means for us in our daily lives. This joy is infectious – how can others not become excited about the Good News of Jesus Christ when we are filled with the joy and love of the words of the Lord. This joy and love of the words of the Lord is like manure – the more you spread, the more things are nourished and grow.

March Pastor's Ponderings

2008-03-01T21:38:00.001-07:00

The Gospel lessons we are hearing from John this season of Lent, are stories of people who are seeking to understand God’s truth. Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, the Samaritan woman at the well comes to Jesus at noon, the man blind since birth, Jesus seeks, Mary and Martha come to Jesus when he arrives at the tomb of Lazarus. These people hear the words of Jesus or they experience the wondrous miracles of Jesus – they become changed people. Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well do not understand at first. The woman at the well however does have an epiphany, she realizes that Jesus does indeed offer ‘Living Water’ and she goes out to share the Good News. Not many of us are like the Samaritan woman, or the man blind from birth. We do not boldly go forth and proclaim all that Jesus has done. Even if we are as devoted as Mary and Martha, we may underestimate the power of Jesus in our lives; we may short change what Jesus tells us, we may have blinders on. The blinders of preoccupation, of doubt, of despair. But Jesus does not abandon us, Jesus will patiently and lovingly come back to us. In all these stories from the Gospel according to John, Jesus never offers derision or disdain to those who come to seek him out or who he encounters. Jesus is present with them as they grapple and come to grips with just what sort of person Jesus is, and just what he offer us.

Nicodemus is more like us. He is a seeker, he is trying to fathom just what kind of person Jesus is. Is Jesus a prophet, a teacher, a miracle worker, is he indeed the ‘Son of Man’ and ‘Son of God’? With Nicodemus, it will take time for him to understand who Jesus really is. Nicodemus will defend Jesus from unjust accusations and after the crucifixion he will care for the body by bringing spices and aloes. Nicodemus is afraid to become a disciple of Jesus; he is afraid to totally commit himself to follow Jesus. Yet in the end he will serve Jesus and care for him. He will serve Jesus in a way that no respectable pharisee would ever do for anyone. He will care for the body of Jesus.

During our Lenten journey we also try and fathom just what sort of person is Jesus and just how do we relate to Jesus? It is not easy to try and fathom the truth of Jesus. We are unique in our understanding of how Jesus comes to us and how Jesus relates with us. We may be slow to realize who Jesus is, like Nicodemus. We may have an epiphany of Jesus like the Samaritan woman at the well, we may have a life changing experience with Jesus and be challenged by others who are skeptical, like the man blind from birth. We may be followers of Jesus and at times lose our way, or lose hope like Mary and Martha. We are not given promises that our journey of understanding Jesus in our lives and our relationship through Jesus to God is an easy process. On the contrary it is at times difficult, frustrating, even painful, yet even in times such as these we encounter Jesus.

Our Lenten journey is a time of contemplation and reflection upon our lives and how Jesus relates to us. As we engage in Holy Week we will experience the entire spectrum of where we encounter God. We encounter God as we experience the joy and ecstasy of Jesus’ joyful entrance into Jerusalem. We encounter God as we understand the intimacy we have with Jesus as he washes the disciple’s feet on Maudy Thursday. We encounter God as we experience the pain of betrayal, hostility, despair and abandonment, as Jesus is crucified on Good Friday. We encounter God as we experience the promise and love of God for us with the joy of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter. This spectrum of emotions we encounter in our life, Jesus experienced . We can know Jesus in any one of them as well as countless others we experience in life. Jesus is with us, Jesus knows our joy, our despair, our pain, our frustration. Jesus promises to be with us, he promises us God’s love and a time when we will know and share the glory of God with all the saints, past and present.

Pastor Robert

Lenten Pastor's Ponderings

2008-03-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Lent comes very early this year. Ash Wednesday is the first Wednesday of February, the 6th. As we begin our Lenten journey, we will not be tested so much by worldly temptations, other than wanting to take a trip to a warmer clime, our endurance to winter and cold weather will be our test during this time of Lent. Is that so bad? This time of winter does give us time to be introspective, to contemplate our journey as a disciple of Jesus. What does it mean for us to be a disciple? How do we respond to the love of God, and to all that Jesus teaches us?

During Epiphany, Jesus calls us to repent, to change our ways, to change our mind, to turn from what takes us away from God and to turn to God and obey God. It isn’t easy, it is a hard path to follow. Where Jesus leads may be scary at times, boring at times; it actually may resemble life as we know it. God does not expect perfection, God knows our limitations, our short comings; yet God will continue to be with us always. God will continue to offer us help, guidance, and consolation when we are frustrated, succumb to temptation, or when we are hurt by others in our effort to obey God.

We currently are taking our Sunday Gospel lessons from the book of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes righteousness; Jesus calls us to righteousness; righteousness is obeying God. Lent gives us this opportunity to contemplate what it means to walk in righteousness with Christ. We are given the opportunity to explore, investigate and discern how we can live righteous lives, how we can obey God in our life. Just as Jesus was tested/tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, we to are tested/tempted. In our case it does not last 40 days but a lifetime. But we are not evaluated/judged upon this test of life. Christ invites us to live life fully. We do not have to do anything to merit God’s grace. Jesus will continue to guide us, bring us back and light our way on the path of righteousness. Jesus gives us the freedom to fully live a life of righteousness, a life lived in joy, loving and obeying God.

The most important thing to remember about our Lenten journey is that we do not engage it alone. We come together as a community to walk with Jesus. We each have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Are we sensitive and aware of Christ’s presence in our lives as we listen and are guided by the Holy Spirit? Do not be surprised if you find the Holy Spirit speaking to you from another person on this journey. God works in wondrous ways his works to perform. Lent gives us the chance to be a witness to these works of the Holy Spirit. Lent give us the chance to contemplate our walk with Jesus. Lent give us the chance to be a witness for others of what God can do when we turn and obey God and engage our journey with Christ. Happy trails to you on our Lenten journey.

Pastor Robert

Christmas Time Pastor's Ponderings

2008-03-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

The cold reality of winter is finally settling in around the area of lower Stillwater County. We are all getting ready for the Christmas holidays; we start our holiday season on Saturday, 1 December when we go to gather our Christmas tree and the ladies of the Faith Circle participate in a holiday bazaar at the Cobblestone celebrating Absarokee’s Snowflake Festival. We will have snow and cold, just what such an event calls for.

But this year, things are not quite as economically carefree as in years past. Gas prices are above $3.00/gallon, diesel is above $3.50/gallon, living here in Montana if you don’t have a car, you don’t go anywhere. Getting anywhere is getting a lot more expensive for us here. We will continue to pay the price for fuel, but either we do not drive as much, we cut down on expenses of other items, or we do both. We may grumble that our billfold is emptying out faster than it used to; but what about those who do not have much in the way of financial resources? How are they fairing in this cold hard reality of winter in Montana?

This past fall I’ve helped people who have come to the parsonage looking for shelter as they travel through the area. I have been able to refer them to Project Hope in Columbus for help with shelter overnight. Project Hope rents one of the cabins at Riverside Cabins for those who need temporary shelter. I was able to make use of this gracious resource twice this past fall. The people receiving this aid, where traveling through the area, they are not residents of Stillwater County, yet they received aid from Project Hope.

We may not be getting folks traveling through the area when it gets cold, windy and can snow at anytime, but there are people here in Stillwater County that need our help and assistance. Because we live in such a sparsely populated rural area, they are harder to find or see. But they are among us. By our collecting food during the season of Advent, we can help Project Hope provide food for those in need. Project Hope is centrally located in the county, they are staffed with volunteers who can provide assistance during business hours, they are there to help those who are seeking help. That is their call and that is their mission.

At this critical time of the year, we can offer our assistance to this organization. I would urge us to consider supporting Project Hope in any way we can through out the year. The need does not go away. If fuel prices keep rising into the $4.00/gallon range, the service Project Hope offers will even be in more demand. Support the only aid organization in the county that is staffed and available to people on a regular basis. They are only open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Support Project Hope with your time, with your financial resources as you are able, and with any extra food or clothing. They in turn can make it available to those in need. Jesus calls us to help our brothers and sisters who are without food, shelter or clothing. It is an ongoing opportunity for us to work to bring the Kingdom of God near. Let us work to make life a little better this Christmas for those in need, and the rest of the year as well.

Pastor Robert

A Christmas Thank You

2008-03-01T21:24:00.001-07:00

As we come to the end of 2007, Susan and I want to thank the community of Absarokee, and south Stillwater County. We have lived in the area one full year; we have seen a complete cycle of the seasons. It has been a full and rich year for us and we are blessed to live here, serve God’s people, be a part of the community, and witness the grandeur of God’s creation. Thank you to this community of Absarokee and the warm welcome you have offered us.
We offer our thanks to the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church who have been so kind and generous to us in their outpouring of Christian love and fellowship. We praise God from whom all blessing flow, for being blessed in serving this community of faith. This past December we as a community have mourned the loss of long standing members of our congregation, family and community; we have been a witness to the rampages of cancer among those whom we truly love and care. Yet we have been a witness to new life – baptism into the faithful assemble, the body of Christ, the Church. We as a congregation have together shared our sorrows, mourned our losses, rejoiced in our blessings. As a pastor, I have been a witness to the power of the Holy Spirit working through and with our congregation. At such times, I feel affirmed in my call to be a pastor to God’s people here at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Absarokee. To be a witness of the power of God at work in, with and through God’s people is truly an awesome, humbling and holy experience and I thank God, the congregation and the community for this honor.
During this season of Christmas, we thank the many people of Immanuel and Absarokee, who have offered their kindness and generosity to Susan and myself. I thank all who have worked to make this be such a festive and joyous season of the Church year at Immanuel. I thank this community of faith for caring for one another as Jesus calls us to do. I thank God for being a witness to this vocational expression of our faith in Christ Jesus – our living the Gospel. I pray for God’s blessings on this community and congregation as we engage in another year, witness another cycle of the seasons, in Absarokee, Montana.
God’s blessings and God’s peace be with you.

Pastor Robert Kieffer Leaverton
Immanuel Lutheran Church of
Absarokee, Montana

2007-04-04T20:51:00.000-06:00

The season of Easter is upon us. We emerge from our Lenten journey and welcome the New Light of Christ into our midst; we welcome the promise of life eternal with Jesus. This hope and promise of Easter is especially poignant for us at this time.
Robert Graham passed from this temporal life to life eternal on 28 March at 12:00 noon. Robert, being not only the oldest member of Immanuel, but the oldest Lutheran in the Montana Synod at 105, demonstrated to us what it means to live faithfully in the promises of Jesus for us. He attended church regularly, was active in civic associations and the life of the community; he enjoyed and participated in the recreation - golf - of God’s creation. He lived his life fully through the blessings of a long and fruitful life, as God granted to him.
We will miss him and all the history he had to offer us. But Jesus grants us the promise, through the Easter resurrection, of life eternal with God in the heavenly realm, sharing the Holy Meal with the communion of saints at the heavenly banquet.
This is the joy, the celebration of Easter, having the promise of sharing the Glory of God with all the saints who have gone before us. This is our hope and this is our promise. This and this alone, is what calls us to live a life on earth, whereby we live the love of Jesus; the love Jesus has for us, that he would die for us, so we may have the promise of life eternal. This is the Good News. This Good News is so joyous we live it, proclaim it, in word and deed.
We give thanks to God by living the Good News, loving God and loving nieghbor; following Jesus as he has taught us through the Gospel and through Holy Scripture.
Thanks be to God!
Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
Thanks be to God!

Ash Wednesday to Remember

2007-04-04T20:46:00.000-06:00

We have had some excitement as we started our Lenten Journey on Ash Wednesday. It got off to a rough start when Glen and Mick showed up at 5:45 wondering “where’s the soup?” Others soon arrived at 6:00 asking the same question. What was I to do? I ran over to the parsonage, and used the soup Susan had left for me while she was away and added a can of Swanson’s Chicken Broth to “extend” it a bit and took it over to church and heated it up. In short order it was properly warmed up and with some crackers I found at home; I was able to faithfully serve those who were looking for soup. It may not have been the miracle of the multiplication of the fishes and loaves , but the Holy Spirit was at work and provided fellowship for those who came. Jean Fiveland and Shirley Adams quickly tidied up after eating and we were ready for worship at 7:00.
I started out by blessing the candle stands Mick Handley made for our altar to be used during Lent. These candle stands reflect the austerity and time reflective contemplation of Lent perfectly for our sanctuary. I also blessed our new altar missal of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship. This altar missal will be a nice addition to the altar and compliment our worship service.
The service was progressing smoothly. We had finished the imposition of Ashes. As I walked over to the Lectern for the Apostle’s Creed, I noticed at camp fire like odor. Walking by the altar, I carefully checked the candles to make sure nothing was amiss there. I figured the congregation would – I hope – let me know if I was on fire. As I was reciting the creed with the congregation, I noticed they were restless, agitated. Some members went into the fellowship hall, a younger member went out the church door, soon followed by a member’s daughter who is a flight attendant. She came back and announced there was a fire in the ceiling of the narthex, we should remain calm and leave the church by another exit. Her crowd control training in response to a threat proved to be very valuable to us as a congregation.
People began to leave via the fellowship hall exit and the president and vice president of the congregation grabbed a fire extinguisher and proceeded to deal with the fire in the ceiling. I grabbed two other fire extinguishers and followed them into the narthex and gave handed them to Scott Wittman and John Chepulis. I left them to fight the fire and I returned to the office where John Schatz was trying to call the fire department. A breaker had tripped, a bit too late, and power to the office as out, resulting in a dead wireless phone. I pulled the drawer containing all our church registries and walked over to the parsonage and put them in the bed of my pickup. I took off my vestments and returned to the office where I grabbed a box of our historic records and material and put them into the bed of my pickup. Tayler Wittman asked if there was anything she could do. I said if I see flames coming through the roof, we would empty out our office of all the file drawers. I entered the office again and entered the chancel where I blew out the altar candles and turned off the lights. As I left the office I grabbed my hat and jacket and proceeded to check out the situation in the narthex from the outside.
As I was coming around the corner of the church the fire trucks had arrived and were getting set up, lights were turned on, hoses were connected and laid out, and firefighters had entered the narthex to pull down the ceiling and vent the building. The fire had been put out by the fire extinguishers under the efforts of Scott and John. Charlie Frey had hauled out smoldering ceiling tiles and the firefighters were making sure the fire was completely out. It was.
A light fixture was the culprit that started the fire when it was turned on. I am thankful that we were having a worship service and were on hand at the time when the fire started. What really amazed me and what I am very thankful for is how everyone was able to act and respond to a dangerous situation. Everyone remained calm, we used the gifts God blessed us with to act and respond to the danger of a fire in our building. We all used the gifts we were blessed by God with to respond. There was no shouting, no panic, people acted on what needed to be done and they did it. Even the elements of communion which we keep on a table in the narthex until they are presented with the offering where taken out and put in the parsonage.
The firefighters tidied up after ripping down the ceiling and making sure there would be no continual threat of a fire. We eventually all left for home. I am thankful for the concern expressed to me for my well being by Dan Aadland and Debra Balfany. I did engage in self care, I did my dishes and felt much better.
The next morning Glenn Young, Mick Handley, John Schatz and Don Schaefer were on hand to access the damage and plan for repairing it. They pitched in and did a thorough cleaning, to the point where we were ready for Sunday services. We since have had our first Wednesday joint prayer service with the congregations of St. Paul’s of the Stillwater Episcopal Church, and the Community Congregational Church here in Absarokee, our ceiling has been repaired and we have a new electrical junction box for a new light fixture.
I am very thankful to God for having spared us substantial damage, injury or death of those who responded to the fire. I thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit to work through those who responded. This is the power of God in action. God calls upon us to use our the gifts we have been blessed with to serve, to respond, and to act in our caring for our community and the people of God’s creation. We each are uniquely blessed by God to serve God and neighbor. Jesus calls upon us not to hid our light under a bushel, but to put it on a lampstand, and let our light so shine before others so theymay see our work, and glorify and praise our creator in heaven.
By the grace of God, Immanuel Lutheran Church will continue to serve the people of Absarokee, Montana. Thanks be to God!

A Christmas Thank You

2006-12-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

Susan and I want to thank all who have contributed to make our first Christmas at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Absarokee so memorable. The kindnesses extended to us, your cards, cookies, and gifts are deeply held and greatly appreciated.
This congregation and this community carries the Spirit of Christ within their hearts. May this Spirit of Christ live and dwell within you throughout the year to come. This generous and loving spirit is the candle that is put on the stand to illuminate the whole room. May your loving and generous spirit illuminate and shine upon all whom you encounter as you engage in your livelihood and daily activity.
Thank you again for your loving kindness and generous spirit. We greatly appreciate your kindness and generosity, and hold it dearly. God’s peace and blessings to you all.

Rev. Robert Kieffer Leaverton and Susan Elizabeth Leaverton

My thoughts about Advent

2006-11-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Have you made your new year’s resolutions yet? We are at the end of the church year, ready to begin a new church year with Advent. We are awaiting with hope and promise of our savior, the Christ, to come and liberate us from the bondage and despair of sin. Advent is the season pregnant with promise and expectant hope. We wait in anticipation of the coming of Christ to us. We end our church year on Christ the King Sunday with the same expectation and promise of Christ’s coming again. We are in the mean time of promise and expectation. We anticipate God’s promise of Christ’s future return and we celebrate the historic promise and expectation of Christ coming to us as a child.
It is unfortunate that Advent is now obscured by our secular and commercial rendition of Christmas, where all spiritual substance is drained away to be replaced by commercial avarice beholden to the almighty dollar; idolatry writ large. We are all familiar with Christmas carols, but how many of us appreciate Advent carols? These carols are beautiful and heighten our awareness of the coming of Christ among us; they are lyrical in their expression of hope, longing, expectation. But Advent carols get overshadowed by the canned Christmas carols that we begin to hear, now around Halloween. The real tragedy is our missing the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas that follow Christmas Eve. We have 12 days to celebrate the coming of our Lord, the Word of God made flesh and dwelling among us. Our society, our culture, tear down the decorations the day after and immediately resume normal activity as if Christmas never even existed. Yet we have 12 days to celebrate the joy of the Christ child coming into our world with family, friends. We can renew the joy of Christ in our life and our acquaintance with the child like joy we first experienced at Christmas time. We renew a childlike hope and faith with this arrival of a young child of hope, promise and redemption. This is the joy and love of Christmas; we celebrate Immanuel, God with us, in the form of a little child, so innocent, so frail, yet gifting us with the promise of God’s redemption for us. Thanks be to God!

How Churches of Absarokee will offer relief from the Derby Mountain Fires.

2006-10-26T21:56:00.000-06:00

The churches of Absarokee have developed a plan for the dispersal of funds to help ranchers affected by the recent Derby Mountain Fires of this past August and September. The focus of our relief efforts will be to offer fencing materials to ranchers who have lost their fences from the fire. Specifically the funds collected by the churches of Absarokee will be used to purchase as many steel (1.33 lb./ft.) fence posts as possible and have them be made available to ranchers who have lost fencing to the Derby Mountain Fire.

Applications will be made available to ranchers for them to apply for these steel fence posts at either D and J Feeds or the Beartooth Lumber and Hardware of Absarokee. The criteria for awarding the fence posts are as follows: money raised in the Absarokee community will be made available to those who are Nye, Fishtail, and Absarokee; those who consider this area to be their community and reside in the fire area; they consider Absarokee their primary residence and attend school, use Absarokee businesses, gain their livelihood from the land and live in this area. To the ranchers who apply and qualify, fence posts will be made available to them to help restore their perimeter fencing. Each individual rancher can decide whether they want to use contract labor or volunteer labor for the restoration of their fencing.

Applications will be taken until close of business Thursday, 30 November, 2006. After all the applications have been received, all the qualifying ranchers will receive a given number of steel fence posts until the supply runs out.

The churches of Absarokee feel this is the best way to use the funds raised to help those in need. The money raised cannot replace all the fencing but can help reduce some of the financial burden that restoration of fencing will impose on area ranchers. Neighbors helping neighbors any way possible has been our goal. We as a community work together and help restore our economic viability, so we as a whole can thrive and grow. We are in this together.

First Snow

2006-10-09T15:00:00.000-06:00

This morning we woke up to our first snow of the season. This past Sunday evening, we had a fund raising supper to raise funds for Derby Fire Relief efforts to be directed towards ranchers.

Property owners who lost a home can be compensated for their loss with insurance. There is pain, loss and grief associated with this hardship. But they do receive financial compensation. Ranchers on the other hand have lost winter pasture, hay supplies, and fences to the fire. Buildings may not have burned down, but their source of livelihood is directly affected. Ranchers do not have insurance to cover pasture, hay or fences. If the cows are sold off with the calves, the rancher faces a capital gains tax burden and the ranch may have to be sold to finance this tax burden. Or the rancher is faced with having to purchase additional hay for his cattle. But fencing is the big issue. To replace fencing will cost $8000.00/mile and up. The base figure of $8000.00 is for level terrain where pickups and ATV can be used. A lot of terrain is very rugged and will have to be done by people who are part mountain goat and mule to get materials in place and fences built.

The churches of Absarokee came together and held this fund raising supper. As a ministerium we met earlier in August prior to the Derby Fire. After the fire "blew up" we had a prayer service to pray for those suffering from fire damage and the anxiety of not knowing the effects of the damage. After the fire had been contained and controlled - and courtesy of some welcomed rainfall - the fire threat disappeared. Then we were able to sit and think about what we could do as a community to help those in need. We as a ministerium worked on being focused and specific in our mission to raise funds and offer aid. We agreed to help ranchers, as they are the mainstay of the community and our identity as a community.

We organized this fund raising supper. The Evangelical Church (a branch of the Evangelical United Brethren who did not merge with the Methodist Church in 67) offered the facility to have the supper. They have the newest and largest facility to host this event in Absarokee. The Four Square Gospel church furnished the paper products, the UCC congregation helped gather the spaghetti fixings and the Lutherans and UCC folk cooked up the spaghetti sauce and pasta. The Catholic ladies contributed the lettuce salad. The Lutherans furnished the coffee. The LDS members monitored the dessert tables. All members of the various churches supplied help to serve and cleanup tables, and everyone brought desserts. This was one of the tastiest spaghetti dinners held in Absarokee, as we do not have an Italian population or any Italian restaurants in the immediate vicinity (100 mile radius of Absarokee). The desserts were delightful in quantity and array of various desserts. We held our dinner this past Sunday, 8 October, from 4:30 to 7:30. Our goal was to feed 500 hungry and generous people. By our estimates we fed over 350 people. We raised $7975.00. Lutheran Social Service of Montana offered us $500.00 and the Montana Synod and Region 1 of the ELCA offered $1000.00 to be used for the Derby Fire Relief efforts in Absarokee. But I was most amazed at the funds that we received from people from the Delaware - Maryland Synod who contributed to this effort. The responding community to contributed is wider than the community who will be served. I am very grateful and I thank God for those who helped and those who responded out of Christian love and compassion to this need.

To top it off, when Susan and I awoke this morning we saw our first Montana snow. We have about 4 inches and it is still snowing. Snow is the final chapter to the Derby Fire. Snow will completely put out the fire and store the moisture needed for new growth and regeneration of grasslands. Snow is a very welcome sight for us here in Absarokee. Snow is the tomb from which new life emerges in the spring.

Summer Fire and the After Effects

2006-09-19T20:07:00.000-06:00

When we visited the Absarokee in June the region of the Stillwater Valley was green and lush. While we were visiting it rained two inches and the streams were running full. When we moved out in late July and it was hot and dry. The region had not received any rain since we last visited in June; the green landscape had turned brown. The only green to be seen were the irrigated areas.The region has been suffered drought since 1999.

It was in late August when the Derby Fire broke out. This landscape is tender dry and all it took was one dry lightening strike up in the mountains to ignite bone dry grass and timber. The Derby Fire started on Tuesday, 22 August. It "blew up" and threatened the town of Absarokee on Wednesday 30 August. On Friday 15 September we received 2+ inches of rain and the fire threat has dissipated. It was an act of nature that started the fire; it was an act of nature that ended the threat of fire.

Fire is a part of life here in Montana, like hurricanes are a part of life on the Gulf Coast. We can never prevent it, but we can proactively protect ourselves from the possibility of experiencing the heartbreak of fire destroying our home. The sad part is that these lessons are learned the hard way when fire destroys someone's home. The saddest part is when fire destroys the livelihood of ranchers who lose pasture, their hay and they have no way to recover their loss. You can insure your house, how do you insure pasture, fences or hay?

This is where I work to try and find a way to help those who could use some relief, be in economic, financial, or emotional. What ranchers need is hay, they need to replace fencelines burned up by the fire, and they need relief from immediate financial obligations. One proposal is to offer "No Cash for Gas" If money can be raised to subsidize rancher's cost for gas they can use their financial resources for other things such as fencing or hay.

If you all have any comments or suggestions concerning relief for afflicted ranchers, let me know.

RKL

2006-09-18T21:56:00.000-06:00

This grave stone was carved by a freed African-American slave who quarried the stone himself and then carved the letters and figures into the stone.

This style is unique only to about 3 church yards in Carrol County, Maryland. This church yard is located at St. Luke's (Winters) Lutheran Church outside of New Windsor, Maryland.

2006-09-18T21:52:00.000-06:00

A photo of myself during seminary.