08
Dec 2017
How often do you snuggle, kiss or keep in close physical contact with your cat, your dog, your toddler or your young grandchild just for the sheer pleasure of it? How often do you use cute insider names, or say, “I love you” to your pets, young children or grandkids? Now, be honest, when was the last time you did these same kind of things with your spouse? Do you give these signs of unbridled affection to your spouse with the same frequency and abandon that you devote to your pets or......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
A Prayer for Holy Week’s Transformational Power My prayer, as we go into Holy Week, is that we will hear Jesus’s story. Hear it so deeply, with all its jarring realities and winning joys, that it captures our hearts and makes us new people. This can happen because Holy Week not only “reviews” the story that most powerfully shows God’s love, it invites us to participate in it; it gives us many dramatic and tangible ways to transform our own stories with Christ’s good and glorious one. Holy Week Challenges Our Comfortable Ideas About......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
Ways to Help Make Your Marriage More Fun When long term married couples are asked the question, “What do you value most in your partner that has helped sustain your marriage?” the most frequent answer is “They make me laugh!” Research on the attributes that both men and women find attractive in their romantic partner indicates that the ability to laugh and have good humor is highly valued. Research on ways to develop good mental health also shows that good humor is vital to your mental well-being. Each time you laugh, your......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
A Prayer for Holy Week’s Transformational Power My prayer, as we go into Holy Week, is that we will hear Jesus’s story. Hear it so deeply, with all its jarring realities and winning joys, that it captures our hearts and makes us new people. This can happen because Holy Week not only “reviews” the story that most powerfully shows God’s love, it invites us to participate in it; it gives us many dramatic and tangible ways to transform our own stories with Christ’s good and glorious one. Holy Week Challenges Our Comfortable Ideas About......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
Christmas Eve 2014 Dearest Upper Midwest Family: Merry Christmas! I have just returned from a most remarkable two weeks in the Archdiocese of Jos in Nigeria. It was a time of such rich Kingdom experiences that I am sure I will be absorbing them for months to come. We had the privilege of visiting a church under siege–truly a persecuted church. Indeed, even in our time there a bomb blast occurred in downtown Jos. But our brothers and sisters there carry on with a Gospel courage and focus–a focus on the lost......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
Part 2 of our Stories of Love, Hope and Healing focuses on hope. This is Rowan Conley’s story. Rowan Conley grew up in a Christian family in Colorado. Through her teen years she became extremely rebellious and turned away from her faith in God and the church. At the age of 18 she found herself pregnant and due to family expectations, she was married and raising a family by 19. She moved to Kenosha shortly after her first marriage and subsequently was divorced within a few years. After that marriage failed, Rowan’s......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
Part 3 of our Stories of Love, Hope and Healing focuses on healing. This is Dan Cornelius’ story. When Dan Cornelius first began coming to Light of Christ, he was struggling to break free from drug addictions that had begun with prescription drugs. Consequently, his marriage had ended and his visitation rights to see his children had been suspended. Dan says he knew God was going to help him overcome his addictions, but he was waiting on God’s timing. When he came to Light of Christ, he knew it was time. “It felt like......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: “Four Priests and a Deacon walk into a restaurant…” In a way, two otherwise insignificant days in the middle of January were a bit of a joke, but the type of joke that only brings joy and light. A joke that reflects that great cosmic joke, the moment Jesus rose from the dead to defeat sin and death, and all creation smiled and laughed. Well, it wasn’t all creation this past week, but at least a few acres along Interstate 94 throughout Wisconsin......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
We are crossing an important milestone this year as we intentionally raise support for Father Eirik’s full-time ministry to Light of Christ. How exciting! This step is an affirmation of our mission to reach our communities with the love, hope, and healing of Jesus Christ. This past Sunday, we were encouraged by the Apostle Peter’s declaration that we are a royal priesthood. One way we express our priesthood is by offering ourselves: our spiritual gifts, resources and prayers. On the final Sunday of Epiphany, February 15th, we will ask you to pledge......
Read More
08
Dec 2017
Looking for a Lenten discipline? Here are some resource suggestions from a few of your fellow LOC parishioners: I. Books: The Lenten Journey; Notes, Prayers and Devotions for Lent and Holy Week (Olsen, Eirik, available at Light of Christ; look for the “little red book” on the Information Table) Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation (M.R. Mulholland Jr); Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten Readings (H. Nouwen) Lent and Easter: Wisdom from Henri Nouwen (J. Bauer); For Kids/Family, Good Dirt: Lent, Holy Week and Eastertide (L.F. Borgo & B.......
Read More