"Running in Faith" is an electronic devotional guide written by members of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church. Each week, writers use their personal interpretation of scripture to write an inspirational message they hope will help readers take their Sunday faith into weekday lives. Your comments are appreciated and, when related to a particular devotion, passed to the writer. We hope you will share these devotions with friends and coworkers. We are always happy to add new names to our e-mail list. Please contact us if you wish your name to be added.

Devotion for the week of June 5, 2000
Submitted by Pastor Dan W.

"What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed."
     Pastor Dan W.

The cemetery was under a grove of magnificent old live oak trees which had littered the ground with thousands of green acorns. The pastor was going by the book for the burial service, reading the lessons and the committal prayers when he must have noticed the hoard of children -- grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the deceased -- scattered under the trees. He closed his book and addressed the kids. Inviting them to come stand near him, he picked up an acorn and asked the children, "What is this?" Of course, they all knew. It was an acorn.

"That's right," the pastor responded. "But it's something else. It's a tree, just like this giant one we're standing under. Once this great tree was captured in a little acorn shell like this one. But when it was buried in the earth, and when the rain and sun nurtured it, the acorn became what it had really been potentially all along, an oak tree. That's what has happened to your grandfather. We will bury him in the ground, but already God is at work making him what he was intended to be. We don't know exactly what that is, but we know that it's at least as great as the difference between the little acorn and the giant tree. And we know that it is very good."

Fellow acorns, we await the resurrection already made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a mystery. It is a promise. It is a cause for hope. May the word of promise give you courage this week as you face death in your world.

God of life, give us grace to trust your promises for us. Give us courage when we fear death and those things in our world that remind us of death. Amen

Devotion for the week of June 12, 2000
Submitted by Debbie B.

"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice;
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."
Michah 6:8

Recently, in my local paper, our community school board introduced their Strategic Plan for the future of our school district. This plan was developed by a group consisting of parents, teachers, school administrators, and members of the community. Part of this plan included the districts new Mission Statement.

Mission is defined by Webster as "the special duty or function for which someone is sent"; "the special task for which a person is apparently destined in life; calling."

The school districts mission statement clearly stated duties and functions that they felt compelled to fulfill in their role as educators to the young people in my community. In addition to establishing this statement they have also begun to work with members of the educational community to put this plan into action.

The prophet Michah under the guidance of our Lord has developed a Mission Statement for all of us. The mission that we are called to, is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. This mission is not always an easy one but we do not have to fulfill it alone. Christ who walked on this earth modeled this Godly life for us. If we turn our hearts to God, the Holy Spirit will help and guide us as we struggle to model the Godly life ourselves. We have the power through Christ to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. We must remember our mission and use this power as we work and play in the community that God has called us to serve.

Dear Lord, We have your mission statement, we know that You are with us to help and guide us in the mission. Give us the courage to trust You and heed your call. Amen.

Devotion for the week of June 19, 2000
Submitted by Melanie H.

"Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength."

Hikers and backpackers soon learn one of the most important lessons of survival. Even when it seems to take longer to reach the destination, always stick to the trail. Novice hikers are prone to look for shortcuts, and often they are the ones that have to be rescued. What seems to be a shortcut often turns out to be either dangerous or a dead end.

We look for shortcuts in many areas of life because they appear to save us time and a lot of hard work and effort. In many ways we are a "hurry up and get there" society. Waiting is not welcomed. It's resisted; it's resented. Even in our Christian life and walk, we want results now. That's our plan. But is it God's plan?

Resting, quietness, waiting, abiding, dependence on God. These are foreign terms in today's society. Let's slow down our pace. Let's say to ourselves, "Let's pray and wait upon God for an answer." Have you tried that recently? It can add a new dimension to your life.

Oh Lord, slow us down and keep us focused on you. We pray for strength to keep on following Jesus, even when the going is rough. Amen.

Devotion for the week of June 26, 2000
Submitted by Rosemary S.

Scripture Reading:
"O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of thy riches."
Psalm 104

Dear God, you have given us all the creatures of the world, from the tiny firefly to the great Leviathan. Help us to remember that we, as children of God, are the most precious creatures that you have made. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works- May my meditation be pleasing to you, for I rejoice in the Lord. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Prais the Lord! Amen.

Two Sundays ago I was the lector and the Psalm for the Day was 104. As I read it, I remembered a piece I wrote a few years ago when I attended a conference for Lutheran writers. The Psalm tells of all the creatures, great and small, that God made. I hope you enjoy reading this.

Firefly Summer
Kate, one and a half, and Kyle, just past three, were in bed. Chris, the eldest child, lingered on the stairs. Obviously, he was not ready to settle down for the night. The three little ones were spending the weekend at Grammy's house, an anniversary gift to their parents.

As I looked out the window at the darkening sky, the first firefly flashed its Morse-code message to the night. "Let's go out and see the fireflies", I said, taking his small hand in mine. We stopped in the kitchen to pick up an empty pickle jar from the counter. "You have to make holes in the top so they can breathe", he told me in a knowing voice. This accomplished, we descended the back porch stairs and stepped out into the twilit backyard.

"There's one!" He scooped the bug out of the air and carefully put it in the jar. "I'll catch them and you hold the jar, Grammy." In his oversized white t-shirt and bare feet he looked like an undersized angel gathering stars. The image will stay in my mind forever.

When he had caught 23 - his idea of the perfect number for the jar - we went inside. We sat on the floor watching the bits of light climb the side of the jar and then drop like falling stars. "Hi fellas", he said the them, "Are you having a good time?" He was finally getting sleepy. "Time for bed, Chris", I said. "Do you want to take the fireflies upstairs, or do you want to take them outside and let them go?"

"Oh, Grammy, you have to let them fly away so they can tell their friends about it and you can catch them another time."

We went outside again, unscrewed the lid of the jar and said good-bye as we watched the insects fly away.