13. June 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

Don’t forget: One more puppet show on Wednesday, June 24^th at 6:37 PM at SLPL. Come, and find out how the story about the little witch ends!

REGULAR events at South Lyon Power & Light:

(Summer schedule)

Sundays:                   8:15 AM              Worship team rehearsal

9:10 AM               Worship

Wednesdays:            10-11 AM            Breakfast of Hope for unemployed

(June: at 1^st Presbyterian Church, July: at 1^st United Methodist Church, August: at Fellowship Evangelical Presbyterian Church, September: at South Lyon Power & Light)

6:00 PM             Puppet Show Practice (if needed)

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13. June 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

Recently Pr. Pam spent some time at St. Augustine’s House, which is an ELCA Lutheran monastery in Oxford, MI. Now that I come to think of it, it would have been good to join her for this retreat. But when she asked me to come along, I refused because I figured that I would be a pretty bored teddy bear there. I didn’t think that I could make it without, TV, internet and phone for four days. Only prayer, reading and worshipping didn’t seem to be the right thing for me. But after she told us about her experience I actually think I might have had a good time. Only the prayer times at the chapel seemed to be a little challenging:

5:10 AM Vigils, 6:00 AM Lauds, 8:15 Terce, 8:30 Holy Eucharist, 12:00 noon Sext, 2:30 PM None, 6:00 PM Vespers, and 8:30 PM Compline. At first I was very skeptic when she told us that she participated in ALL of them – every day. I am having a hard time believing that she got up at 4:30 every morning in order to make it to Vigils in time. Except from the readings, and sermon and prayer during the Holy Eucharist the whole prayer or liturgy was being chanted. I have the impression that she enjoyed that very much.

Meals were taken in silence, only accompanied by readings and music. There were also certain periods of silence during the day. Yes, I know: it’s hard to imagine that people can actually enjoy this. But Pr. Pam mentioned that this monastery structure helped her a lot to re-focus on God.

It did take her a little while to find the inner peace though. She said, she felt like a detoxicating drug addict during the first two days because she was exposed to her spinning thoughts so much (a lot of quiet time, remember). But once she got past that point, she was better able to hear God’s voice and listen to what God was telling her.

I am telling you this because I think it is a great example of how important spiritual discipline is. It helps us to focus more on God instead of focusing on ourselves all the time. Our lives are way too busy (even the life of a teddy bear!), and it is so easy to slip into a doing – mode. We have the feeling that we must do more, do better,  do the right thing. But what IS better? What IS the right thing? Very often we think that we know the answer. The problem is that this is our perspective, but not necessarily God’s perspective. This is why it is so important to make more room for God’s voice in our lives.

I am aware that making this kind of room is not so easy, because we are busy people (and busy bears). It requires exercise. That doesn’t mean you have to get up at 4:30 in the morning in order to be ready for prayer at 5:00 AM. But it means that you set some time of the day apart for God. And you don’t have to read scripture, or do devotion. You can just spend it in silence. Try to find a place that is quiet, and where you won’t get disturbed or distracted, and then just listen. Listen to what God is telling you.

By the way: Pr. Pam was told at St. Augustine’s House that sleeping is actually a form of worship. This is probably the reason why the residents there sleep so much.

So, this is what I am going to do right now: Take a nap – and worship God!

Yours Pelle

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3. June 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

As a response to the bad economy the South Lyon Churches will be hosting a weekly gathering with coffee and bagels for people who are unemployed, in order to provide support and the opportunity to connect with others in the same situation.

The gathering will take place Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM starting June 3^rd, 2009 at the 1^st Presbyterian Church.

The breakfast will be hosted in South Lyon by

1^st Presbyterian Church (205 E Lake Str.) in June,

1^st United Methodist Church (640 S Lafayette Str.) in July, (wireless internet connection available if you want to bring your laptop)

Fellowship Evangelical Presbyterian Church ( 22200 Pontiac Trail) in August,

South Lyon Power & Light (304 N Lafayette Str.) in September.

For more information please contact

Active Faith Community Services
401 S Washington Street
P O Box 188
South Lyon, Michigan  48178
248-437-9790

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 10am – 5 am

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29. May 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

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20. May 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

UPCOMING events at South Lyon Power & Light:

Wednesday, May 27^th 2009  and Wednesday, June 24^th 2009, 6:37 PM:             

Puppet Show: “The Little Witch”

REGULAR events at South Lyon Power & Light:

Sundays:                     8:15 AM              Worship team rehearsal

9:10 AM              Worship

Wednesdays:             Women’s Bible Study is taking a summer break!

                                      6:00 PM              Puppet Show Practice

Fridays:                       7:08 PM              Taizé Worship Service

(only through June 5^th, 2009)

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5. May 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

Times are tough right now, so please take a few minutes to pray with me this

Prayer in a bad economy:

The foreclosed home,

the empty storefront,

the “out of business” sign,

the unemployed family member,

the neighbor without health insurance,

the financially struggling friend:

People in need.

We can see them everywhere.

Sadness,

Anger,

Confusion,

Fear,

Frustration,

Despair:

Unwanted feelings.

We can sense them everywhere.

Lord God, your children are hurting.

Part of it is our own greed, the unwillingness to share what you have provided for us.

Part of it is the lack of understanding that what we have are not our possessions; it is what you have entrusted to us.

Lord God, your children are listening:

Jesus says: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

Jesus says: I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 

Jesus says: Let your light shine before others.

Jesus says: You are the light of the world.

Lord God, your children are praying:

Give us the wisdom to be good stewards.

Give us the insight to share.

Give us the understanding to love.

Give us the might to change.

Give us the power to mend what is broken.

Lord God, we, your children, are willing to trust in you.

We, your children are willing to be the light in the darkness.

We, your children, are willing to be your hands in a broken world:

Feeding the hungry,

Clothing the naked,

Visiting the lonely,

Listening to the desperate,

Caring for the sick,

Sharing what we have with one another.

We cannot do this alone.

You are the almighty God,

who created the universe,

who parted the waters of the sea,

who calmed the storm,

who fed the 5000,

who healed the sick,

who resurrected the dead,

who changed the world through Jesus Christ.

Together with you we will overcome the darkness and make this world a brighter place.

Together with you we will make this world a better place to live.

Together with you we will make this world a place where everyone has what they need.

Through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Amen

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26. April 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

The outreach event at the laundromat in South Lyon was awesome! We simply said: We want to pay for your laundry today.

Responses: “Are you kidding?” “Why are you doing this?” “Can you afford that?” “Thank you so much.” “You have made people’s day.” “Now I can afford to do my laundry again next week.” “How cool, you are passing it forward.” And of course we heard a lot about what’s going on in people’s lives right now.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible. Special thanks go to the owners of the South Lyon Laundromat (Becky and her husband) who were as excited about this opportunity as we were, and who provided free detergent for their customers that day. God is good!

Here are some pictures. Enjoy

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15. April 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

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14. March 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

UPCOMING events at South Lyon Power & Light:

On three more Wednesdays:

April 22nd, May 27th, and June 24th, 2009:

6:37 PM            Puppet Show: “The Little Witch”

REGULAR events at South Lyon Power & Light:

Sundays:                  8:15 AM            Worship team rehearsal

9:10 AM            Worship

Wednesdays:            1:00 PM             Women’s Bible Study

                               6:00 PM             Puppet Show Practice

Fridays:                    7:08 PM             Taizé Worship Service

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14. March 2009 by Pastor Pamela.

Do you know what your purpose in life is?

I can tell you very clearly what my purpose as a teddy bear is:

My purpose here on earth and in this family is to comfort, to be a therapist,  to be a navigator, a mascot, a friend, and a companion. I can say things humans can’t or don’t want to speak about. And sometimes I even end up being a pillow.

And this is not just a “job description”. This is not just my way of making a living in this world. This is what I am made for. You can ask other stuffed animals (if they are willing to talk to you, that means). They will tell you exactly the same.

The reason why I am mentioning this is that very recently I have heard people talk about a purpose driven life, and that having a purpose in life is very important. They said: having a purpose in life helps you to stay focused, to make life easier, to be motivated and to be able to accomplish something.

So, in my case knowing about my purpose as a teddy bear should help me to be there for my family when I am needed instead of just sitting on the sofa all day long, watching life pass by.

Since I am not watching life pass by but people, let me share my insights about the human race with you:

Your purpose here on earth is different than mine, but it helps you as well to stay focused and motivated in being there for God and for other people.

Because this is what your purpose is: To love God, to love your neighbor, to follow Jesus, to serve God, and to spread the Good News of God’s love.

You are meant to be dedicated to God with your whole life. You are meant to have an attitude of kindness and forgiveness toward the people you run into. You are meant to try hard to do what Jesus did, try hard to become what Jesus was. You are meant to serve God by serving others: helping people in need by noticing their needs and getting involved. You are meant to tell everybody that Christ is risen! Tell everybody that Christ overcame death - for you and for them! Tell everybody that Christ prepared the way to eternal life – for you and for them! Be a witness.

That sounds like a lot of work. Sometimes I am glad that I am just a teddy bear. I can stick with my own purposes like being a friend, and a companion. They are a little easier to handle (maybe not the pillow part, though).

On the other hand, now that I think of it: Being a teddy bear in a Christian family actually makes me a supporter for their purposes. Doesn’t being their friend make me a supporter in everything they do? That means as a friend I support them in loving God, loving their neighbor, being disciples, serving and spreading the Gospel. I think, sometimes we just underestimate the gifts we have. And we underestimate how much impact the little things can have.

Apparently in many cases it doesn’t need much. Very often it’s really easy. So easy a teddy bear can do it.

Yours Pelle

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