Got lots of color and had lots of fun with Team Light Up the World at the Color Run!

Minneapolis-based folk/pop songwriter Jonathan Rundman will be performing a free, outdoor concert at First Lutheran TONIGHT!

Sunday school at First Lutheran kicks off Sunday, September 7th with “Rally Day” on First Fest Sunday! Sunday school registration is from 9:15–10:15am in the narthex. There will not be Sunday school class this day, however parents and kids are encouraged to come register, see their classrooms, meet their teachers, and receive their registration packets.

The OWL’s will get the fall season started with an exciting road trip to our state capitol in Madison. We will depart the church at 8:00AM on Wednesday Sept. 10th. Our September Potluck with be in the Narthex on Wednesday, Sept. 17th at noon. 

Pastor Karyn really had a system down for making root beer floats during the Volunteer Appreciation Picnic this summer. She lined up the glasses, put a little bit root beer in the bottom, added a scoop of ice cream and then topped it off with more root beer. It was beautiful to watch her with such efficiency and the those waiting in anticipation for such goodness. It was a blessing and joy to thank our volunteers at the picnic, watching them enjoy the wonderful food and delicious root beer floats.

I asked our volunteers why they keep volunteering and it was very insightful, but not surprising to learn the answers. Some answered, “It’s fun,” others, “I like to help out,” while still more said, “It makes me feel good”....

I used to be a jump in the pool with both feet kind of girl, but now I find myself entering slowly. While that change causes me to pause, what I have found is entering the pool slowly leaves room for reflection. Have you ever noticed the ripples of a water that occur when something disturbs the smooth surface? Even the littlest of disturbances cause infinite ripples, such as a toe dipping in to test the water. As I sat at the edge of the pool, my toes getting accustom to the cool water, I watched the gentle ripples move along the water and considered the past couple of months, couple of years. I wonder sometimes as I work for the kingdom of God if what I do makes a difference. I am no Billy Graham (although wouldn’t that be fun?) or Rob Bell who preach the gospel in such compelling ways that they have hundreds of thousands of people listening and following them. I am no Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King Jr. who work tirelessly for the poor and oppressed. I am me, the toe dipper....

More than 30 years ago, my great-aunt Joanie died after a painfully slow and terrible bout with ALS, known only to me then as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. Over the last month just about everyone I know has been challenged to dump a bucket of ice/water over their head as a way to raise awareness and money for research so that it may be a disease of the past. What has amazed me is the amount of criticism that accompanies the challenge. It is mere ‘stunt fundraising’ according to one writer. It is self-congratulatory, ‘focusing on fun rather than donating to a charity in need’ according to another. A British paper calls it a ‘middle class wet T-shirt contest for armchair clicktivists’. I suppose the sarcastic saying may be true: “No good deed shall go unpunished....”

The La Crosse Area Synod wants to assist the Lennox corporation with their efforts to supply free furnaces to families in need. They supply the furnace, another company supplies the thermostat and local dealers install—all at no charge to the customer. But if they don’t know of someone who is deserving, they can’t help them!