NW DCE Conference Day 2 (part 1)

We awoke early as breakfast was at 7:30am. As Jamie and I peered out our hotel window we found that overnight 8 inches of snow had covered the hotel courtyard. Across the courtyard I saw perfectly spaced icicles hanging off of the ruffled roof-one icicle on each bump.

Perfect icicles!

I guess we got some snow overnight...

Good Morning!

Jamie and I made our way upstairs to breakfast. Breakfast was FANTASTIC. It was unlike any other continental breakfast I’ve ever had. A hotel employee dressed in German attire made each person their own omelet with all the fixings, or lack of fixings, they wanted. There was also rolls, yogurt, fresh fruit, cereal, sausage and cheesy potato casserole.

After most of the fellow NW district DCE’s gathered in the great hall an alpine horn-man came walking through the center of the room carrying his alpine horn in two long pieces. The horn man climbed up atop the ledge of the roof and played several tunes. I only recognized one of them—Amazing Grace—but they were all unique.

Alpine horn!

I walked out onto the deck where the alpine man was playing only to find breathtaking scenery. The 8 inches of snow covered everything in the town and the mountains around. Leavenworth is nestled in the middle of the mountains. A fog hung over the base of the mountains but the peaks were visible and the sun was shining. What a perfect start to the day.

Looking downtown Leavenworth

Perfect Scenery, building tops, and mountains peeking out of fog. 

It's going to be a beautiful day!

We moved into opening worship which was led by Jamie and myself. I played guitar to Be Thou My Vision and Here I am Lord. Jamie led the morning devotion activity. Being DCE’s we did a common activity in which we blindfolded a volunteer in this case Uma. Uma then had to make his way through the obstacle course of tables and chairs following the voice of “God” another person far across the room.

Leading worship

Jamie blindfolding Uma

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

Uma with some run-ins with chairs and tables found his way. We then repeated the activity this time with all 20+ DCE’s shouting distractions so that it would be hard for Uma to hear the voice. But we also gave Uma a guide to help him find his way.

We had way to much fun and Jim even created a pile of chairs, to which Uma and his guide had to crawl under a table. The point of the activity was that sometimes life throws distractions at our life and it’s hard to hear/see God’s voice and will. But God also provides us with a helper. He has given us both the Holy Spirit and fellow believers and supports-brothers and sisters.

Jim was determined to not let Uma find his way

But Uma had a great guide-under the table we go

From there we moved into the first of 3 sessions with keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Robin J. Dugall. This was absolutely refreshing. I will explain some of my learning’s and discussion that we had as DCE’s.

As Christians and as Lutherans the term “Faith without works is dead” is one we hear often” likewise scripture without application is worthless. The Bible is not a paradigm to distance us from the text but rather a way to articulate our spiritual journey in the here in now. We need to be in scripture. It’s not of the past as scripture is eternally speaking, and eternally creating. With that said the Word of God need to be incarnated in our lives.

Keynote Speaker  Rev. Dr. Robin Dugall

The Bible itself talks of how the “Word became Flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) through Christ. We too are to be “little Christs”. In fact, the Holy Spirit is HERE and NOW in making disciples. As John 1:14 says the Bible is a part of God. If we separate the Bible from the body (God) we are in trouble.

If you ask someone what truth is they might say truth is something honest and real. Scripture tells us that God is “the way the truth and the life”. With that in mind we as Christians believe that truth is a person (Christ). Truth embodies someone, and truth is where the Lord is. God is truth! It is the truth, and God who we follow and desire and crave to be in relationship with.

As Dr. Robin went on he talked about being in community not only with God but with one another and how it is vital for us as workers to find friendship and community with others in our field as support. Robin said that in Bible times friendship could not exist unless you were among equals. Slaves were not friends with masters but with other slaves as there were in a specific hierarchy class. Friends were only friends with those in the same class. It was not until Christ that we broke this. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galations 3:28)

Just as there were servants in Jesus day there still are servants today. Some would say we (as church workers) are servants. We are not just servants but masters in disguise. We are walking, talking means of grace! We are servants who’s “first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man…Our first allegiance is not to democracy or blood, no, our first allegiance is to a King in a Kingdom”

The King, our God is the only one who can grant us peace. Peace sometimes seems out of reach especially when our lives our out of control. When nothing in the church seems to go right. When ministry seems on edge of collapse. We need to find peace. Not the peace that is the absence of conflict, but the peace that is in Christ—Shalom.