Being Ironman and the Sounds of Gethsemane

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Recently, Alfred Gorvie and I participated in Living Lord Lutheran's Ironman retreat. No, we didn't swim, bike, or run but we met with over 25 other Lutheran men to focus around understanding what God is planning for us on a daily basis & how to recognize where the holy sprit is leading us. Questions were asked and discussed. What has made me feel closer to God? How do I take Christian action in my life? How do I get to know more about God? We spoke of aspiring to make a difference and prioritizing God in our lives. By the end of the 12 hours together we had formed a spiritual bond with each other, sharing faith stories and growing in our faith. One participant commented at the end of the long day, "God loves a cheerful giver but will accept giving from a grumpy one too".

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Gethsemane's joyous music mission (organ, choir, & bells) has enabled me to feel closer to God We are blessed with the sounds of God's grace resonating across the sanctuary on a Sunday morning. In November we'll hear members share what the sounds of Gethsemane mean to them as we focus on being "pipe organ-donors" and as yearlong stewards for God's word and song. For more details please see the November Messenger.

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Over the past three months, GLC members continued to demonstrate their Christian spirit and being close to God. During Gethsemane's annual "God's Work. Our Hands." event 20 casseroles were prepared, prayer envelopes created, the Buder school garden received some TLC, water bottles distributed to commuters, and cookies packaged and delivered to first responders and health care providers. Great examples of Christian action, one volunteer opportunity at a time. Big Ask items of diapers, toiletries, socks, cereal, and non-perishable food items helped fill the shelves at St. Anthony and Isaiah 58 ministries. A big thank you to members that have volunteered as worship leaders. Being blessed with the return of two Sunday services, more opportunities to serve are available, just ask Kim or Gretchen. A big thanks also goes out to Gethsemane members who unanimously supported the cost of repairing Gethsemane's Pipe Organ.

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As we look forward to ways we can continue to grow in God's word, be on the lookout for sounds of God's grace and music. Our Stewardship campaign for 2023 giving is titled Sounds of Gethsemane! We will kick off our three week focus on Stewardship on Sunday, November 6th. Hope to see you all there to hear from members and their sounds of faith and be thankful for what God has provided in our life. Just remember, unlike Tony Stark (aka Ironman), we don't need to create a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil when we have our faith in God to protect us.

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Thank you again for all you do to grow as faithful stewards in Christ!

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Keith Paulson

Stewardship Committee Chair