VBC Day 1

Howdy partners! "Farmer" Trista here, your friendly summer seminary intern.

We had a great morning with eighty-one children and several dozen VBC ministers to care for them!  This week we're looking at food through the eyes of faith.  The nave has been transformed into the Great Farmhouse, and we are offering thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest season we are in the midst of.  We are delighted to welcome children in Jesus' name and to share our stories of faith with them.  May we all taste and see that God is good!

Today we have been exploring the wonder of seeds, and our theme for the day has been: when we are growing, God provides.  We learned that God provides food for us to eat and cares for all of our needs.  In chapel we planted pumpkin seeds and remembered that we each have been given seeds of faith in the soil of our hearts.  In story time, several of our youth performed a drama based on the parable of the sower.

One of the ways we say thank you to God for our food is by sharing what we have with others.  So, for our service project today, we made pumpkin muffins for the Salvation Army summer children's camp.  Continuing the theme of love and service, in music today we sang "Call to Love".  We remember that we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves because God loves all.

Mid-morning, we all gathered together for snacks in the Great Hall which has been transformed into The Paradise Cafe.  After Brian and the youth led us all in rhythm-filled doxology, we refueled our bodies with the grapes, sesame crisps and string cheese.  Then we were ready for more exciting activities!

In crafts today we decorated lunch bags for the Salvation Army children's camp in preparation for the sandwiches we will make and give to them tomorrow.  We also made sidewalk chalk to remember that God writes God's words upon our hearts, and when we had a little time, we played "apple, apple, banana" (a form of "duck, duck, goose").  We all sure love to run around!  And in our recreation time, we had seed relays and running races in Medina park.

Our day opened and closed in the nave with worship time.  We sang "This is the Day that the Lord has Made", "His Banner over me is Love" and "This Little Light of Mine" with joyful motions.  The children are also learning a new song, "God is Good" written by me especially for our time together at VBC. 


As we prepare for our upcoming day, we thank you for continuing to lift all of the children and the VBC ministers in your prayers.  And we invite you to reflect on our call and response liturgy which will be a part of each day's opening worship:

When we are hungry, God provides.

When we are thirsty, God provides.

When we are tired, God provides.

When we are lonely, God provides.

When we are growing, God provides.

Whatever our need, God provides.

Taste and see that God is good!

I'll Be Close to Him Today

This will be my article in the November issue of The Collect. I figure, hey, why not publish it here in advance? That way you get bonus points for visiting the blog.

- Josh Hosler, Associate for Christian Formation


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In her first week of kindergarten, my daughter Sarah befriended a little boy named Eric. The entire class was trying to adjust to the kindergarten routine, and Eric dealt with it by crying every morning on his way from before-care into the classroom.

One morning the before-care teacher was consoling Eric as he cried. Sarah came up to her and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be close to him today.”

My memories of age five are not clear enough to remember what this kind of grief felt like. I have experienced grief many times since then, but when you’re only five, even little losses must feel overwhelming. Sarah spent the summer preparing to grieve the loss of her preschool, her weekly day with her grandparents, and our weekly “Daddy-Daughter Day.” By September, she was ready. Having dealt with her grief in advance, she knew how Eric felt. And she was able to come close to him.

“Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Could this be the bleakest lament in the Bible? It is attributed to a field of bones that represent—in Ezekiel’s psychedelic vision—the people of Israel, God’s chosen people [Ezekiel 37:1-14]. But at one time or another, these bones also represent each of us. No matter our age or the size of our loss, we are all grieving something.

Every week when we gather for worship, there are people among us who are grieving, who feel dried up and hopeless, cut off completely. Christians are those who don’t allow people to remain cut off. We strive to live like Jesus did: pouring ourselves out for others, and finding meaning in our life even as we pour it out. One way we can give ourselves away is to be fully present and attentive as the Holy Spirit drops opportunities for ministry into our laps, like the opportunity Sarah found with Eric.

This Sunday, talk to a stranger. When you pass the peace, don’t just greet people you already know. Seek out somebody you don’t know. Begin a conversation and continue it at coffee hour. Welcome people. Include people. Invite people. This is our mission: practicing the hospitality of God. And hospitality is one of the tools God uses to breathe new life into old, dry bones. You never know who God is calling you to come close to.

Take comfort in rituals

Eagle-eyed shutterbug Claudia Ballheim caught this photo the other day.

Personally, I’ve been finding comfort in this very ritual. As the weather turns cooler, it feels great to stop by the coffee shop for a tall mocha on my way to work. It’s bad for my health, my bank account, and my self-discipline. But it sure is yummy having dessert for breakfast! And besides, God, at least I’m not like those other people who need to have a grande or a venti. Aren't I righteous?

 “Take comfort in rituals.” In what rituals do you take comfort? Why? And are there rituals that do more than merely comfort you? Are there rituals that actually challenge you to grow?