Pastor's Blog

Over the years, I have experienced twists, turns, mountains, valleys, joy and pain. Through it all, I have benefited from the lessons learned as I endured each situation.

One of the most, maybe THE most, important ways we can live our faith is with daily devotions. A daily devotion can be a reading from a prepared book or simply reading through the bible. The idea, whatever your tool, is to get God into your daily life. Read from His Word and then spend some time in prayer.

Generosity is less about the amount of money we put into the plate and more about the grateful heart of the believer. And we know that God is all about the heart! For two weeks in October, we are going to combine our stewardship message with the songs of Tasha Layton. Tasha is a contemporary Christian artist who appeared on American Idol and has won several awards. She is now a well known Christian music singing artist who will perform a concert at Christ Lutheran on October 27. Make sure to get your tickets! Her words of gratitude for all that God has done fit nicely into our theme of a generous heart.

I can’t say exactly when we leave. I couldn’t tell you where we are going. What I can say is that this fall I’m deploying with the 350 sailors on my Navy ship as part of Carrier Strike Group 2. We are ready for the adventure. We’ve trained to uphold peace and we’ve trained for combat, if necessary. As the Chaplain, I’ve trained the crew to be ready mentally and spiritually.

I am so excited to have completed my first month here at Christ Lutheran. Wow! I am honored for this privilege to serve with you! I thank you for such a warm welcome!

Lisztomania or Liszt Fever: “The intense fan frenzy directed toward Hungarian composer Franz Liszt during his performances.”

It is with great joy and deep gratitude that I can finally announce Tony Hyde as our new Director of Property and Finance following Gregg Huether’s resignation.

Confession time: I have bribed my kids. There I said It. Maybe you have too? I have bribed my kids because, well, sometimes I need them to not be kids. I need them to be little adults, which means, really, to be quiet. It’s almost always to be quiet and keep calm. I know they can’t do it forever, and I know they don’t want to do it naturally because they’re kids. But I know they can do it for a time, and when I just must have that moment, I bribe them. I bribe them so they will “behave.”It’s funny when we say “behave” because what we tend to mean when we say to our children “behave” is not behave like a child, even though we are talking to children. No, what we mean is “behave” like an adult, even though you are a child. Keep quiet, keep calm, and do not pretend to be a dinosaur. Please? Pretty please!? If you do this, we can get ice cream after. And, just like that, BOOM, perfect little angels. But, of course, only for a time. 

Thrive Day School is beginning its 6th year starting in the fall. Below is a quick update from the Thrive Day School Board Chairman, Lane Goode.‍Thrive Day School continues to thrive! Summer school is in full swing in all 3 Thrive campuses: CLC Providence, CLC Concord, and Rock HIll. Enrollment for Fall 2023 shows very strong growth as well, so much so we are looking at options for expanding to accommodate the demand. The need to serve families in our community who have children on the Spectrum and other special needs has never been greater. We have parents traveling over an hour each way to reach a Thrive campus.

Find your new thing! Revisit an old thing! Try out several things! 8 Days of Service is an opportunity to serve in our community – a one-time thing or explore to find a new passion. If you are not close to Christ Providence in Charlotte, there are similar agencies in every community. Search for an option like a school that needs volunteers, an agency that ser0ves meals, or collection stations for almost anything you can imagine. My heart for serving others grows the longer I participate, and my faith is grown and challenged along the way … my relationship with God is strengthened and I meet His Holy Spirit everywhere I turn!

We have several people leaving the staff after a long tenure, the first being Lyndon Ratliff. Lyndon was the first person I ever hired at Christ Lutheran back in 1998. He first came in as our custodial and maintenance person, helping with everything from set up to minor repairs to cleaning. After his initial retirement, he stayed on with the staff to help with evening security and lock up. For 25years, Lyndon has been a fixture at Christ Lutheran — dependable, trustworthy, and forever welcoming to all. Happy Retirement, Lyndon!‍

In October 2001, after only four years since returning to Apple as CEO, Steve Jobs introduced a consumer product to the masses that, in his words, didn’t just “change the way we listened to music, it changed the entire music industry.”

On behalf of the Youth Director Call Committee and the Personnel Committee, I’m excited to announce that we have hired TWO people to take the lead on our middle and high school youth ministries! Tyler Weller will be the new Youth Director and Natalya Legvold will be the new Youth Ministry Advisor!

We are hosting a concert for Tasha Layton, a national contemporary Christian artist on Friday, October 27th at 7pm. We are so excited to have her coming to Christ Lutheran to share her talents.

I have been gardening for 15 years. I have cross pollinated my own plants and crafted a sub-species tailored to my ideal tomato. But ever since I’ve come to the South my tomatoes have struggled with various diseases. The South is a ruthless place because it never gets cold enough to kill all the things that want to kill my tomatoes.