Lodi United

Methodist Church

130 Locust Street, Lodi, Wisconsin 53555

Office Hours:  8:00 - 1:00, M-Th

(608) 592-3480

Church Secretary - Roxy Witzke

Pastor Scott Walters - 592-7449                                        Pastoral Assistant Julie Wilson - 592-5817

BOOK REVIEWS - by Laura Pfeffer

 

January 2010

Heather Elkins relates many powerful stories and poems about ordinary items involved in extraordinary times in her book, Holy Stuff of Life: Stories, Poems, and Prayers About Human Things.  When cooking oil becomes blessed by the pope and is later used in consecrating Bishop Violet Fischer, when a silver spoon from the Korean War leads to a faculty exchange program between Drew University in New Jersey and Ewha Women’s University in South Korea (founded by United Methodist women, it is the largest women’s university in the world), when a Communion chalice which is broken during a difficult General Conference of the church is later reborn as a votive holder and when the tattoo of a sparrow leads to a conversation about God’s love of all people, you know that the work of the divine is reflected in these things.  Through simple, yet powerful stories, poems and prayers, Rev. Elkins reveals the spark of the Holy Spirit blowing through life which gives a divine touch to even the simplest of objects and allows them to be vehicles of inspiration, reflection, expression and revelation.  A lesson in living deeply as much as living lightly, the book is a wonderful reflection on how to see the true value of what we have and hold on to or pass along what really matters.

Interested in other books on finding what adds meaning to life?  Try some of these other books from the United Methodist Women’s reading lists:  Looking for Enough in a Culture of More by Paul Escamilla; Growing Friendships:  Connecting More Deeply with Those Who Matter Most by Tracy Klehn; If I Live to be 100:  Lessons From the Centenarians by Neenah Ellis; Living Sacrifices:  For Those Dying To Rise to a Life Worth Giving by James Rolling, Jr.; and, Keeping Spiritual Balance As We Grow Older:  More than 65 Creative Ways To Use Purpose, Prayer and the Power of the Spirit to Build a Meaningful Retirement by Molly Srode and Bernie Srode.

No topic so dominates Jesus’ teachings in the bible as does the topic of money and the faith examples it brings.  Biblical stories abound with examples of faithful people who seemed to be debtors, losers and underdogs in life who were instead blessed by God and so became blessings to those around and after them.  It reminds me of the song “Grace Alone” in which the lyrics say that everything we do is only because God first freed us, God first loved us, and God first gave everything to win us.  God is a giver and so we are called to be givers also so that our gifts may free those still in darkness, love those still lost and win those still caught in systems of destruction. In today’s hard economy, we must be more careful to live faithfully so that our stewardship of our resources is not found wanting and the harvest may continue.

The keys to faithful living and giving are outlined in Linda Hollies’ book “Living Bountifully:  The Blessing of Responsible Stewardship”.  Told within the context of her own economic booms and busts, Linda Hollies examines the biblical reflections on God’s call to bless and be blessed through careful living and giving. Reflecting on the impact of wise stewardship on issues of community, hunger, resources and servant-hood, this book lays out biblical examples of how God’s people have responded to calls to live faithfully.  A powerful call to live out the freedom of God’s love, this book is also a practical guide to reevaluating what is truly worth doing and having in today’s world.

Interested in other books about faithful stewardship? Try these other books on the United Methodist Women’s reading list: "Let the Children Give: Time, Talents, Love and Money" by Delia Halverson; "Energy: Use Less – Save More" by Jon Cliff and Amanda Cuthbert; "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!:  An Easy Household Guide" by Nicky Scott; "Who’s Raising Your Child:  Battling the Marketers for Your Child’s Heart and Soul" by Laura Buddenberg and Kathleen McGee; "Fifty-Two Simple Ways to Make a Difference" by Paul Simon; and, "The Blessings of Brokenness:  Why God Allows Us To Go Through Hard Times" by Charles Stanley.

September 2009

I’ve worked on a few different construction-oriented mission projects:  Habitat for Humanity, Hands on Atlanta and local church supported projects in various states.  In some ways these have been challenging since my "how-to" knowledge is extremely basic, but in other ways these have been the most rewarding projects I have worked on because they have had concrete results and have directly improved people’s lives.  It is best when you get to meet or work with the families because no matter how unskilled your help, it’s really the connections of the heart which last into the future.  We live such segregated and privileged lives in so many ways that it can be easy to forget how many people face almost insurmountable daily challenges in securing basic, safe housing.  Although working on a mission project is a wonderful experience, the lasting re-minder is to fight for equal justice for all of the children of God. Justice work is one which needs no special skills, only an open heart.

The Salkehatchie Summer Service project is a mission of the United Methodist Church of the South Carolina Conference and is as much about transforming the lives of the youth volunteers as it is about rebuilding homes for the poor.  The witness of the power of this project in bringing people closer to God and to their neighbors is recorded in the stories, poems, sermons and reflections of volunteers in the book Send Me!  The Story of Salkehatchie Summer Service by Arlene Andrews, John Culp and Art Dexter. Part history, part witness, part revelation, this book records the success of John Culp in developing a youth outreach program connecting volunteers with people in need and working to build bridges of understanding as well as encouraging youth leadership and self-reflection.  Originally envisioned as a part of a racial reconciliation project with the Gullah people (descendants of West African slaves who reside on the barrier islands off the coast of South Carolina), Salkehatchie has spread to all corners of the state as well as North Carolina and Georgia, in urban as well as rural areas, as a tool of empowerment and compassion born of sweat, frustration and perseverance.  In rebuilding the physical walls of a house, the invisible barriers of hearts go down to allow God’s love to shine brightly in all God’s children.

Interested in other books about mission and youth?  Try these books from the United Methodist Women’s reading list:  Creating a Habitat for Humanity:  No Hands but Yours by Jonathan Reckford; What Can One Person Do?:  Faith to Heal a Broken World by Sabina Alkire and Edmund Newell; Peace Jam:  How Young People Can Make Peace in their Schools and Communities by Darcy Gifford; and, Let the Children Give:  Time, Talents, Love and Money by Delia Halverson.

August 2009

Coming from a secular family, I did not grow up within a faith tradition.  Yet, when I heard God’s call, it was the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group on my college campus which accepted me, allowed me to grow spiritually and gave me leader-ship roles.  On campus, our small group was far outnumbered by other religious, cultural and secular groups, such that my understanding of faith has always occurred within an understanding of pluralism and the necessity of "showing" the work of faith.  Even as I have continued to study scripture, engage in worship and work in mission, I have done so with awareness that other traditions share many of the same fundamental desires, challenges and values.  Faith in the twenty-first century demands an understanding of the power of acting across boundaries to reach a new generation and a new world.

In Acts of Faith:  The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation, Eboo Patel documents his own experience as a son of immigrants who struggled to find acceptance in American society.  Although he was fortunate enough to find a role in the YMCA and heroes in the examples of people like Dorothy Day, the difficulties he faced in bridging the gap of tradition and youth are more often the same opportunities used to recruit extremists and violent radicals.  In the hands of a more extremist, charismatic leader, faith can be used to recruit young people into acts of terrible destruction and death.  By creating the Interfaith Youth Corps, Eboo Patel seeks to bring together youth from diverse religious backgrounds to work together and share their experiences in positive and affirming ways as an example of how faith can strengthen in the new millennium and build the paths of peace with a new generation.

July 2009

Every Thanksgiving that I can remember when I was growing up included one very special guest.  It was one of my parent’s co-workers who was single and only had family on the coast, far away.  Without fail, my father would drive out to pick her up and she would show her slides of trips to Thailand or Cambodia after dinner.  It only occurred to me many years later that this was not the sort of thing all families did on the holidays.  In fact, as a child I saw a regular stream of foreign graduate students come to dinner, usually bearing small gifts or exotic foods.  I think much of my appreciation of foreign cultures can be traced to this early exposure to people and things so different from my Midwestern background.  I know that it has helped to accustom my ear to understanding people who speak English with foreign accents.  The gifts we receive by extending hospitality to those whose background and experiences or situation are different from our own are priceless.

Hospitality is only one of the aspects of the connection between food and the Christian faith which will be explored in the spiritual growth study, Food and Faith, at School of Christian Mission this summer.  The study book Food and Faith by Wendy Whiteside also broadens our understanding of our part in responsible eating as well the spiritual practice of fasting and the role of feast days and communion in the life of the church.  Filled with stories from experiences of food all around the country and the world, this book is an engaging and thought provoking look at our basic human need and how it reflects God’s plans for our life in community.

Interested in other books on food and the Christian life?  Try some of these books from the United Methodist Women’s reading list:  Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment by L. Shannon Jung; Faith and Fitness:  Diet and Exercise for a Better World by Tom P. Hafer; Ending Hunger Now:  A Challenge to Person’s of Faith by George McGovern, Bob Dole and Donald Messer; This Organic Life:  Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Dye Gussow and The Eco-Foods Guide by Cynthia Barstow.

June 2009

I think some of the most difficult times I have experienced in church were during the time in which I was on the Pastor/Staff Relations committee at a time in which there was a movement to oust the pastor.  The move had come after a series of changes to the arrangement of furniture in the sanctuary, including moving some memorial chairs out of view, placing the baptismal font at the entrance and moving the flags to the Fellowship Hall, among others.  Several long-time members played the "leaving" card, threatening to take their presence and money away in protest of changes happening to "their church".  I remember saying at the time, "I thought this was God’s church."  To be God’s church is not dependent upon a single tradition, worship style or comfort zone, it is to do God’s mission and reach the lost and broken.  When we think that it is more important for church to cater to us, than to reach new people, then the church will not survive and grow, and, more importantly, God will not enter into the lives of those He longs to reach and heal.

In Who Stole My Church? : What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century, Gordon MacDonald creates a fictional church facing some familiar challenges:  changing from choirs to praise bands, Power Point sermons and hymnals and organs unused.  Pastor MacDonald uses his own voice to walk through the challenges of change and division in the established church member-ship as it seeks to find a renewed sense of church mission in today’s world.  Through a series of meetings, sharing and bible study, the group regains a sense of balance and perspective, sacrifice and understand-ing which opens them up to seeing their lives as truly open to being used power-fully in the lives of those around them – to be church.

Interested in learning more about church mission and identity in today’s world? Try some other books from the United Methodist Women’s reading list:  Many Face One Church: A Manual for Cross-racial and Cross-cultural Ministry by Earnest Lyght, Glory Dharmaraj and Jacob Dharmaraj; Grace Matters: A Memoir of Faith, Friendship and Hope in the Heart of the South by Chris Rice; Letters to a Young Doubter by William Sloane Coffin; and, O Lord, Hold Our Hands: How A Church Thrives In A Multicultural World by Nibs Stroupe and Caroline Leach.

Send comments concerning this web site to rschmie@chorus.net                             Last Updated:  April 9, 2010