We might say that following Jesus is “easy as pie.” Meaning, of course, it’s not easy at all. But just as a whole pie isn’t meant to be eaten alone, the life of faith is meant to be communal, shared. As my training week continued, I looked around to find others on the journey with me. Together, we were overwhelmed. (I lost count of how many references people made to drinking from a firehose.) Together, we found we still had hopes about the church. And together, we began sharing stories.

The overarching theme of Philippians is the joy we have in Jesus Christ. There is so much that is still broken in our communities and cosmos and sometimes both the small conflicts and large injustices can overwhelm.  I cannot continue the work of witnessing to the love of Jesus Christ with words and actions without reminders that the good news is for me too, and that the joy Paul writes of is ours.

Even as the busy-ness has increased, I have been fortunate to spend time at two of the three Lutheran Outdoor Ministry sites that are within the NWIM Synod territory. During those short retreats, I was able to live into Jesus’s invitation to go “away to a deserted place…and rest a while.”

I do not think it’s a stretch to say that God is doing something new right now. Sometimes I wish I could predict what it is. Other times I am simply up for the adventure and hope I can keep up. Whatever is happening, I do find it helpful to remember that we are not the first ones to experience new things.