Forgiveness is about letting go, really letting go of resentment and bitterness - both personal and global. Forgiveness requires strength of character, it requires courage, a courage that needs to be replenished daily and rekindled when it falters. Forgiveness requires a commitment to something other than revenge and the natural desire for retribution and/or an apology. It requires, since there are events and behaviors that are unforgivable, ultimate compassion.
To forgive someone or something implies that there has been a transgression. You have been violated, hurt, insulted, treated badly or inhumanely, or somehow suffered greatly by another’s actions. Something very valuable has been taken away; there has been grievous harm. Sometimes the transgression is factual; someone has been murdered, tortured, raped, neglected, beaten, publicly humiliated, or oppressed. Sometimes the transgression is subjective; we get our feelings hurt in ways that would not necessarily hurt someone else’s feelings. Someone forgot your name at a party, your child was overlooked for a scholarship, someone assaulted your leadership style, or your boss did not pick up your ideas. As author and Buddhist meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein says, ‘We all have tucked away in our unconscious a little list of people who have hurt us in some way in our lives. And we keep the list even though they can no longer hurt us, as if forgiving them will
give us amnesia, and we’ll get hurt by them again.’
When we have been hurt, we show a feverish intensity to the situation, we hold a magnifying glass on the person or people who hurt us, and we are exquisitely aware of the effect the injury has had on us. Whether objective or subjective, we are faced with similar feelings of being upset and resentful of being treated wrongly. Whether subjective or objective, whether it is a slight or a grievous transgression, when the hurt and insult has created a bur in our psyche we are faced with the heroic task of being responsible for the resulting psychic pain.
Hatred, resentment, and a desire for revenge and getting even are heavy emotions that weigh us down. Heavy emotions, reliving the trauma or fight, and being tied to the past robs creativity, spontaneity, fun, and any semblance of a free life. We become virtual prisoners caged inside our own moods and dark thoughts, whether we are painfully tied to the traumatic insults waged against our bodies and spirits or fueling the flames of everyday grudges and insults. We instinctively know holding hate and resentment is not good for us, but being willing to let it go, knowing we are so justified in feeling a sense of outrage and a desire for justice, is another kettle of fish altogether. Author anonymous

Many thanks to those who completed their service on our Church Council in January. They are Lisa Blaski, Betty Koenig, Lisa Johnson, Don Schultz, Beth Staniforth and our High School Representative, Nick Heisig.  Thanks also to those who accepted the call to serve, or continue serving, on Council. They are Sam Kirkland, Beth Krey, Vickie Laughren, Tom Nelson, Jim Simpson and Kris Smith. Our new High School Representative is Brad  Urban. They, along with Julie Haag-Heisig, Jackie Kelley, Dave Pahl and of course Pastor Kathy, make up our 2010 Church Council.

Dear Friends at Norway Grove,With great excitement, I am pleased to announce that I have been called by God and the church to serve Trinity Lutheran Church in Manlius , IL as their pastor!  I begin on February 1, and we are packing so that we can move into the parsonage before February 1.  My ordination will be on April 25, location to be determined.  When I think of you at Norway Grove, I think fondly of Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God every time I remember you…”  Although I’ve been away for many years, Norway Grove has always been my church family.  I am thankful for your prayers, support, and encouragement through my candidacy process and my call process.  Please know that I keep you in prayer today and always.  When I know more details about my ordination, I will let you know!

Peace be with you!  Brenda Lovick

For the remainder of 2009, benevolence payments to the Synod have been suspended in order to meet basic internal financial obligations. Benevolence is money that goes to support ministry to the Synod and to the entire ELCA for helping others in ways that we could not accomplish by ourselves alone. It is a partnership that we have committed to. Reaching out beyond our selves in faith is a mark of a healthy congregation.  As a congregation, we strongly believe in the need and commitment of our benevolence to the Synod. The special recommendations committee and the congregational Council recommend asking each family to make one $50.00 contribution beyond their regular giving to the church for the purpose of benevolence. Are you able to help out in this area of giving? If so, please make sure you note this special congregational giving as “benevolence” on your envelope or check.

I must take care of my own needs, I must survive.Another barrier to generosity may be our insistence that we have to hold tight to what we have or we will simply not survive. It is interesting to analyze what we deem necessary for survival. If you started a list, what would be on it?In the story of the Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:11-32), there was a time when the younger son thought he would be better off in a distant country. He took his share of his father’s wealth and went away. There he   squandered his property in dissolute living. He then hired himself out to feed pigs in the field. His despair was so great that he discovered the cornhusks in the pig troughs were really all he needed for survival.Has there been a time in your life when you discovered the minimum necessary for survival? How long have you carried this list in your head? Many American families remember the Great Depression. This was a time when many people learned to live on the bare necessities. There simply was not much available, and       survival from one season to the next was often a struggle. While most people recovered from this experience,  the understanding of bare necessities and survival have guided their understanding of generosity.Giving is sometimes done begrudgingly, not because of present blessings, but because of past struggles. How has your understanding of generosity changed through God’s blessings?Prayer: O God of abundance, remind me what it means to have the bare necessities. Remind me also that you  provide for my survival. As you grant me blessings, help me not to judge my generosity by the circumstances of the past, but by your present blessings. Amen. The money Leadership devotion is developed by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit of the ELCA 

The July Council was short and action packed. Due to member’s vacations and other summer scheduling conflicts, our time having a quorum was limited. We discussed and acted on many items: our current financial standing, potential strategic planning, maintenance needs, additional new member seminars, funding for the New Orleans Gathering, etc. Many of us (but not a quorum) stayed for an additional 2 hours to review what is being done by our active committees, start planning for the upcoming congregational update meeting (August 30^th) and discuss other needs of our church and the desires we have heard from the rest of our growing    congregation. Please believe and trust that your Council is trying to do what needs to be done and attempting to fulfill your desires and dreams.  With more people we can do more to fulfill your desires and dreams. The Council is asking all of you for assistance. This month we will be taking the “Time and Talent Sheets” and using them to place calls to individuals that we believe are not only interested but will do a terrific job filling the needs for our congregation. Please take time in the upcoming weeks for some heartfelt reflection to prepare yourself for this possible phone call. If you have not filled out a “Time and Talent Sheet” or do not get a call, do not be        discouraged. We may not know your inner strength, your hidden talents or your desire to serve. Please make it known to us by talking to any member of Council, including Pastor Kathy. We have all been given gifts by God and should (and in fact want) to share with others. Doing something you love to do for others is not only rewarding, it is infectious. Be an infectious spirit and make our congregation greater.

Prepared by Jim Simpson, Vice President, July meeting’s Chairperson. Please contact me with any questions or concerns (846-3564, jim.simpson@charter.net)

I live in abject neediness with nothing to give.One of the barriers to generosity is the feeling that one is without resources. There may be times when this is true. However, there are probably more times when this is not true.You may have heard stories from friends about people living in abject neediness with nothing to give. Invariably these people live in literally “dirt-poor” conditions. Yet their generosity has moved the hearts of their visitors. A common phrase that is heard from these visitors is, “They had nothing and they gave us everything.”The widow of Zarephath (I Kings 17) who fed Elijah with the last of her meal and the widow in the temple who gave “all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44) are examples of this deep generosity. These stories indicate such generosity has existed within cultures for thousands of years.Have you encountered the kind of experience described in these stories? Have you ever felt in abject neediness with nothing to give? For some people this might have happened while traveling alone in a foreign country. For others college life might have been their time of doing without. Whatever your experience, remember what it felt like. Remember the struggle. How generous did you feel in those times?Everyone encounters struggles in life. Perhaps reflecting on these experiences of neediness is enough to shake our    comfort zone. Perhaps it is enough to move each of us from a state of complacency to an appreciation for the generosity of others. Perhaps by recalling these struggles each of us can move beyond our current desires and neediness to embrace a new spirit of generosity.Prayer: O God of abundance, remind me this day that I have so much and lack nothing that I need. Help me to embrace a spirit of generosity that moves me to give away that which can help others in their struggles. Amen.

The money Leadership devotion is developed by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit of the ELCA

After much discussion our Congregation Council voted unanimously at 8:50 p.m. Sunday, June 14^th, to approve a new revised mission statement. This mission statement will carry us into the future and aide in our committee revitalization and focus. Our Council continues to work for you, feel free to  discuss your ideas and comments to any council member. Our new revised mission statement is:

                                                                                          “Loved by God, saved by Christ, welcoming all to

              heal, pray, serve and grow in the Holy Spirit”

Are you on Facebook? Check out Norway Grove’s new Fan Page today! Log into your Facebook account and search for Norway Grove. Then be sure to click on the “Become a Fan” link.

Sometimes receiving does not come without pain. Have you ever had a painful experience in receiving? What do you remember about the pain? What do you remember about the joy that followed?

In John 16:21, Jesus uses the example of childbirth as a real life experience where the pain of receiving is overcome by the joy that follows. He tells others the woman “no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy.” The context of this example is Jesus explaining to the disciples his departure to the Father and his return, “and again a little while, and you will see me” (John 16:17). If you had been there with the disciples, how would you have understood Jesus’ words? Do you feel the joy of receiving Jesus each day?These examples tell us that sometimes the joy of receiving does not come without pain. Sometimes the joy of receiving after the pain may not be immediate. However, Jesus promises to be with us.Prayer:  O God of abundance, help me to see that all receiving is not without pain. Give me the strength to endure anguish that I may discover the joy you have in store for me. May I always know that Jesus is with me, and that your will is for joy in my life. Amen.

The Money Leadership devotion for this month, developed by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit of the ELCA, is particularly poignant for our current economic times. Even though there is plenty of pain to go around, it is important for us to stick together, to not be judgmental of ourselves or others…..to remember to worship faithfully, whether or not we can afford to bring an offering and to accept help from others when it is needed. All of us are affected by what is happening in the world today, from stock loss, to job loss, to increased prices and greater instability in our lives… in so many different ways, there is a renewed need to embrace the steadfast and never changing love of God into our hearts and into our lives…..what better place to do this than the Church??? – Pastor Kathy