Please share what your congregation is doing for Lent! This rich season of the church year is prime time for deepening our worship life and living the remarkable drama of new life in Christ.

Send a note to juliea@eandsynod.org

Lenten Journey: Water Marks is the newest in the Book of Faith Lenten Reflections. These water stories from both Old and New Testaments would be really helpful for a focus on baptism. Other Lenten Journeys include 40 Days with the Lord’s Prayer, Marks of the Christian, and Seven Wonders of the Word. Weekly themes and ideas for worship are included. For individual, group, or congregational use. Preview copies available.

Baptismal themes can also be found in the Washed and Welcome Sourcebook. Articles for reprinting in worship folders or newsletters are available. In Living the Promises of Baptism, key bible verses are highlighted.

ELCA World Hunger offers a Lenten series—12 meals, 12 related stories which are also scripted as dramas for those interested, facts, placemats, fundraising and ideas.

For worship, be sure to consider the DVD series, The Greatest Story: Jesus. The focus on gospel stories includes compelling sand art images that will engage all ages. Preview copy available.

For C.S. Lewis aficionados, themes from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe provide a creative way to focus on Lenten themes using the video, the book, and the LLW Discovery Guide. Copies available.

Check out Pastor Tom Weitzel’s Handbook for the Discipline of Lent, A Lenten Retreat, and Stations of the Cross as well as other Lenten resources at liturgybytlw.com

For worship planning: Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days together with the Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days from Augsburg Fortress. Preview copies available.

Ideas to consider:

Stories Around the Fire: three or four people tell two-minute stories of a favorite Bible verse—how they came across it, what it meant to them then and what it means to them today. Each week people who tell their stories write their names in a congregational family Bible next to their texts in the margins. “We had people as young as nine and people in their 80′s share their stories.”

Sermon series are memorable. There are so many cleverly named series all over the internet. Pick a catchy title and develop your own pieces to it.

Spirituality for Busy People: everybody is busy. Then pick practices such as Sabbath keeping, service, prayer, blessing, eating together, vocation, testimony to unpack during Lent.

Consider Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World: look for God outside of church walls. Take a chapter a week to find God in the everyday events of our lives. Have people tells stories of God at work, at school, at leisure—in unexpected places.

The timelessness of Holden Evening Prayer: “We are still in love with Holden Evening Prayer—it sustains us year after year!”

For a rich Lenten worship experience, consider the new Holden Prayer Around the Cross, a set of resources adapted from Holden Evening Prayer and Prayer Around the Cross by Susan Briehl, Tom Witt, and Marty Haugen. To accompany HPAC, a set of musical resources is available in Singing Our Prayer: Companion to Holden Prayer Around the Cross.

TheThoughtfulChristian.com has several downloadable resources available for Lent. Take a look at Walking the Way of the Cross with Paul.

You’re invited to take a look at a stewardship resource ideal for Lent: Mark Allan Powell’s Biblical Stewardship: Our Duty and Delight features seven 20-minute video sessions on DVD, a comprehensive study guide and participant handouts. Session titles include Belonging to God, What is a Steward?, Treasures and Hearts, Motives for Giving, Duty and Delight, and Cheerful Sacrifices.

The 40 Day Journey books for small groups or individual use are designed for Lent. Titles include Journeys with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joan Chittister, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Madeleine L’Engle, and others.

If you’ve found the Nooma films interesting, consider matching themes from the texts for Lent with the short and engaging DVDs. It’s an excellent way to repeat the themes and invite conversation about the weekly texts. Call the Resource Center for a list!

Bread themes for Lent? Try a Lenten study called Bread in the Wilderness: Spiritual Famine or Gospel Feast, six sessions about hunger and food. A new six-part bible study called Bread and Broth also invites participants to share soup and bread while learning about Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Elisha, John the Baptist and Jesus.

Northwestern Minnesota Synod has shared “Lent 2012: A Season for Prayer and Renewal.” For congregational renewal and reflection, it includes prayer petitions, a plan for midweek worship, Bible readings, mission resources and more. Call the Resource Center for a copy or download.

Teach us to Pray introduces participants to the full spectrum of Christian prayer methods and encourages them to incorporate these practices into their daily lives. Twenty-two lesson plans can be used as a year-long course, as four separate courses or individually. Adaptable for Lent, adult education, prayer and spirituality groups or retreats.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Lent 2012

The book of faith faith as a window, a lens for looking at the world

German theologian Paul Tillich liked to speak of faith as a window, a lens for looking at the world. He challenged students to consider the Bible, prayer—even Jesus—as windows or ways of looking beyond the thing itself to what lies beyond it. Tillich warned against making the window itself—whether Scripture, prayer, or our own tradition—the objects of our devotion.

The biblical stories are remarkable wellsprings. Burbling up century after century, the insights and wisdom they offer continue to challenge, assault, comfort, and even frustrate listeners who find them both compelling and disturbing. These stories are windows for looking at the world and at our own lives. They help us see!

An ongoing ELCA initiative called the Book of Faith invites us to “open scripture and join the conversation.” It’s a way of helping Lutherans engage with the biblical stories. While we don’t make the Bible into an object of worship, the living Word is the lens through which we make sense of life and faith.

You will find here the Book of Faith collection of resources. They provide one way to engage in opening Scripture and whetting our appetites for the riches of the biblical stories. Open scripture! Join the conversations!

Introduction to the book of faith…

…is best described on their website or social network sites: ning | facebook | twitter .

Augsburg Fortress has published the wide array of resources described here (Visit their store). You will also find preview copies of all the Book of Faith offerings in the EaND Synod Resource Center listed here.

How did the Bible come to be our Book of Faith?

Try Rediscovering the Book of Faith, a DVD, leader guide, and participant book. (K164)

How can the Book of Faith renew our lives?

Try Opening the Book of Faith, a DVD, leader guide, and participant book that introduces four approaches: devotional, historical, literary, and theological. (K163)

What Bible might I use?

The Lutheran Study Bible (NRSV) provides hands-on tools for using the Bible—basic introductions to each book, background information, maps, charts, illustrations & more. It’s a great place to begin!

Where might we begin?

Try Making Sense of Scripture: Big Questions about the Book of Faith or Making Sense of the Christian Faith both by David Lose.

Bibles…

….include the following:

• The Lutheran Study Bible (NRSV)
• Spark Story Bible for children ages 2-2nd grade
• Spark Bible—NRSV for children 3rd-6th grade
• Bibles on CD-Rom
• Other Bibles

Additional Resources…

…can be found at the Book of Faith’s Bible resources page where there are links for the following:

• A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
• A Beginner’s Guide to Reading the Bible
• A Beginner’s Guide to Studying the Bible
• A Beginner’s Guide to the Books of the Bible
• About the Bible: Short Answers to Big Questions
• The Old Testament Story
• Fortress Introduction to the New Testament

Together in Faith…

…includes studies that connect with worship themes and follow the Revised Common Lectionary (available at Augsburg Fortress).

• God’s Will for Life (Studies in Mark)
• God’s Extraordinary Church (Studies in Ephesians)
• God’s Standard or Gold Standard? (Studies in Proverbs)
• Songs of the Faithful (Studies in the Psalms)
• Great Expectations (Studies in Isaiah)
• Heaven on Earth (Studies in Matthew)
• Questions for Jesus: Studies in Mark
• Being the Body of Christ: Studies in 1 Corinthians
• From Beginning to End: Studies in Revelation
• Close Encounters of the Jesus Kind: Studies in Luke
• God’s Own People: Studies in 1 Peter
• Signs of the Kingdom: Studies in Matthew
• Church in Waiting: Studies for Advent

Additional Bible Studies…

…appropriate for meeting openers, small groups, and for other short activities are available for free on the following topics:

• Deuteronomy 11:18-19 with Norma Cooke Everist
• Mark 4:2-3 with F. Javier Goita Padilla
• Psalm 111:2,10 with Thulie N. Beresford
• 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 with Mark Powell
• Jeremiah 17:7-8 with Marty Stortz 
• Romans 8:37-39 with Roy Harrisville
• John 15:5 with Craig Satterlee 
• Revelation 22:1-2 with Susan McArver 
• Amos 5:24 with Peter Nash 
• Matthew 25:35-36 with Kristin Swanson 
• Mark 8:34-35 with Mary Streufert 
• John 1:14,16 with Erik Heen 
• Isaiah 55:1-11 with Stan Olson 
• Augsburg Adult Bible Studies
• No Experience Necessary Bible Studies

Find more Book of Faith resources at Augsburg Fortress 

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Lutherans and the Bible

Gifts to ELCA World Hunger (external link) help support the work of international partners like Lutheran World Relief, The Lutheran World Federation, Church World Service/CROP and global companion churches through ELCA Global Mission.

Great Ideas for Congregations:

Easter chicks at Easter time, what a better time to bless a family in need with the gift of chicks or ducks that can help fight hunger? A chick, starting at just $1, can bring a family with an abundance of protein-rich eggs to eat and sell on the market. At $20, a duck is the best pesticide around–eating insects that harm crops while fertilizing the fields at the same time. Visit God’s Global Barnyard for more information (external link)

Host an ELCA Good Gifts Fair (external link) and invite members to buy chicks and ducks in honor of friends and loved ones. They also make great additions to Easter baskets! Start a buck-a-chick sale during Lent. For $1, allow members to purchase and decorate paper chicks. Hang colorful chicks in a prominent spot and announce the total raised on Easter Sunday. Check out the Lenten resources for congregations at ELCA World Hunger (external link)

ELCA Malaria Campaign (external link)
Teach your congregation about the biological and theological implications of malaria and learn what the ELCA is doing about it. The Malaria Jeopardy PowerPoint and many other games for children, youth, and adults are available online. (external link). More information about the ELCA Malaria Campaign (external link)

Bread for the World 2011 Offering of Letters (external link)
Bread members write to their members of Congress, advocating for policies that help end hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

Remember the Hungry this Lent (external link)

This year your congregation can host Wednesday night Lenten meals and help fight hunger at the same time. Enjoy global cuisine. Learn about different parts of the world. Discover how gifts to ELCA World Hunger are making a difference. Instead of charging for the meal, collect donations to support ELCA World Hunger.

Visit www.elca.org/hunger/lent (external link) for six complete meal plans (including global recipes, table tents, table prayers and discussion starters).

Spring Boxes (external link)
The ELCA added a new project to their Global Gifts Program: Spring Boxes, a cost-effective ways to increase access to potable water in the Central African Republic, our companion synod! Congregations interested in giving money towards the Spring Boxes in the CAR may write/send checks to the EaND Synod; individuals may send their contributions directly to the ELCA.

VBS Idea:
Check out the Taking Root (external link) Vacation Bible School curriculum for children and youth.

ELCA World Hunger Education and Advocacy Grants (external link)
Now available! These grants support work that furthers the education and advocacy objectives and guidelines of ELCA World Hunger. Is your congregation already active in this type of work? Please apply.

Called to Be Bread: Resources on Hunger
A collection of recommended videos, books, and bible studies from the EaND Resource Center that illustrate what it means to be Christ’s body in the world, the bread of life. Read online or download article. (download pdf file)

Resources from ELCA World Hunger:

Congregation Connections Resource (external link)
Congregation Connections is an online magazine designed to help leaders integrate hunger themes throughout worship and congregational life. It follows the church calendar to assist people in integrating hunger awareness and engagement all year.

ELCA World Hunger Toolkit (external link)
A practical, easy-to-use, and intergenerational resource to help you design, host, and lead a learning experience on hunger or hunger-related topics. It is adaptable to your audience, including participant activity level and your time frame.

ELCA World Hunger Video Series (external link)
Short (average 6 mins) videos showing stories of individuals whose lives have been impacted by gifts to ELCA World Hunger. Perfect to show during Sunday morning offerings, temple talks, adult forums and youth group gatherings.

A brief, four-minute video introducing the breadth of work made possible by gifts to ELCA World Hunger is also available.

Reproducible Hunger Stories (external link)
Examples of how ELCA World Hunger donations make a difference in the United States and around the world. Download from the ELCA website (external link) or order through the new ELCA Global Gifts Catalog. (external link)

More Information on Hunger:

• ELCA Global Links e-newsletter (external link)
  Stay informed. Be inspired. Get involved. Explore the breadth and depth of our church’s global ministry and of how God is transforming lives through our work together. Get regular updates from around the world!
• Hunger Facts (external link)
• Sign up for the ELCA World Hunger e-newsletter (external link)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Hunger Facts, Information, and Congregational Resources

This rich season of the church year is prime time for deepening our worship life and living the remarkable drama of new life in Christ. Here are some themes and ideas to consider for your Lenten journey:

Essential for Lenten worship planning is Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days together with Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days from Augsburg Fortress. Preview copies available.

If you’ve found the Nooma films interesting, consider using Lump, Rhythm, Today, Shells, and Matthew during Lent as a way of repeating the themes and inviting conversation about the weekly texts. Call the Resource Center for a list!

For an adult study exploring the lectionary texts for Cycle A, check out the series Signs of Lent DVD. Each of the seven segments is 10-12 minutes and follows a similar format. Themes are sand, wind, water, earth, rock, tree and light all focusing on texts from Matthew and John.

Book of Faith

Heaven on Earth: Studies in Matthew is the newest Book of Faith study. This six- session study from Augsburg Fortress is timely as we begin the new cycle in the lectionary. Preview copies available.

The 40 Day Journey books for small groups or individual use are designed for Lent. This year’s Book of Faith Lenten Journey: Seven Wonders of the Word is by Kathryn Kleinhans. Additional titles include Marks of the Christian based on Romans 12; the Lord’s Prayer; and 40 Day Journeys with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joan Chittister, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Madeleine L’Engle, and others.

Focusing on Stewardship?

You’re invited to take a look at a stewardship resource ideal for Lent: Mark Allan Powell’s Biblical Stewardship: Our Duty and Delight features seven 20-minute video sessions on DVD, a comprehensive study guide and participant handouts. Session titles include:

• Belonging to God
• What is a Steward?
• Treasures and Hearts
• Motives for Giving
• Duty and Delight
• Cheerful Sacrifices

Bread themes for Lent?

Try a Lenten study called Bread in the Wilderness: Spiritual Famine or Gospel Feast, six sessions about hunger and food. A new six-part bible study called Bread and Broth also invites participants to share soup and bread while learning about Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Elisha, John the Baptist and Jesus.

Care of creation theme?

Check out:

• Plymouth Carbon Fast Blog (external link) -  daily thoughts for a carbon fast
• Creation Waits with Eager Longing (external link) – A Lenten journey about climate justice
• Living Earth Series (external link) –   A Lenten Journey: Joining the Hymn of All Creation

Music for Lent?

Jay Beech suggests a replacement for the Alleluia, Not by Bread Alone; hymns that fit the texts and themes of Lent and more. Purchase at Baytone Music (external link)

For a rich Lenten worship experience, consider the new Holden Prayer Around the Cross, a set of resources adapted from Holden Evening Prayer and Prayer Around the Cross by Susan Briehl, Tom Witt, and Marty Haugen. To accompany HPAC, a set of musical resources is available in Singing Our Prayer: Companion to Holden Prayer Around the Cross.

Baptismal themes?

Watch for Washed and Welcome, exceptional new baptismal formation resources from Augsburg Fortress.

Please share what your congregation is doing for Lent! Send a note to Julie at the Resource Center.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Lent 2011

Creation Waits with Eager Longing (external link) is a set of resources from Living Earth: A Lenten Journey. It includes a worship series and weekly themes of reflection, remembrance, rediscovery, repentance, reconciliation, and recommitment about becoming more faithful stewards of God’s creation.

For helpful information about the season of Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday, the Three Days and services of daily prayer, take a look at the third volume in the Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship series, Keeping Time: The Church’s Years.

A Lenten devotional series called Holy Lent Holy Land Holy People: A Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount includes true stories from the Holy Land, journeys through the Sermon on the Mount with copy-ready biblical commentary and preaching reflections, and original art from Bethlehem. The adaptable Word document (download .doc file) also contains music, prayers, litanies, questions for reflection and discussion, and can be used for Lenten mid-week worship or Bible study. It was developed in 2008 by the Peace Not Walls task force of the Southwestern Texas Synod (external link) and is offered as a free resource to the church at-large. Visit the ELCA Peace Not Walls (external link) for more information and resources.

For a Lenten DVD series on grace, check out Down and Out: Where Grace Takes You. This six part series reintroduces viewers to the life-changing reality of God’s promises and points the way to a completely different view of life in light of grace. Sessions are 19-25 minutes each. Available for loan.

In the six part series, What’s God Up To? Bible Stories Through New Eyes, provocative and thoughtful biblical teacher, Amy-Jill Levine asks edgy questions about familiar bible stories. Sessions are 25 minutes each. DVD available for loan.

Many additional series are available for small groups, individual study, and reflection. See the online catalog and the e-resource for December 2009, Open for Exploration for additional recommendations.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: More Resources for Lent 2010

For a rich Lenten worship experience, be sure to consider the new Holden Prayer Around the Cross, a set of resources by Susan Briehl, Tom Witt, and Marty Haugen adapted from Holden Evening Prayer and Prayer Around the Cross. It includes fourteen sample liturgies that could be used in a variety of settings. To accompany Holden Prayer Around the Cross, a set of musical resources is available in Singing Our Prayer: Companion to Holden Prayer Around the Cross.

Ask about a new Lenten series called Water for Your Soul: Living in Baptism Every Day by Glenn Borreson. It’s a powerful way to focus on baptismal catechesis and includes material for Ash Wednesday to Holy Week.

Brand new from Augsburg Fortress, Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days is a must-have for worship planners and leaders. The Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days is also new. Preview copies available.

The 40 Day Journey books for small group study or individual use are ideal for Lent. The newest is Book of Faith Lenten Journey: Marks of the Christian (based on Romans 12). Additional titles include 40 Days with the Lord’s Prayer;

40 Day Journeys with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joan Chittister, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Madeleine L’Engle and others.

Find complete worship planning beginning with Ash Wednesday see the newly expanded resources online at Sundays and Seasons (external link).

Gail Ramshaw’s 40 Days and 40 Nights is a beautiful collection of readings for the weeks of Lent.

The Three Day Feast (by Gail Ramshaw) from Worship Matters gives worshipers and worship planners much to ponder – a feast itself!

Lutheran poet and writer, Herb Brokering, has given us Stations of the Heart, a beautiful book of devotional reflections.

Finally, take a look at From Death to Life, a new book about resurrection hope by EaND synod pastor Scott Block, Grace / Oakes and Nazareth/Cogswell.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Lent 2009

» Download: A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance (download pdf file)

None of us is exempt from difficult times. Experiences of loss and grief, deep disappointments, fear and worry are the stuff of life. The death of someone whose life was once full of promise, the loss of one’s job, an unwelcome or unexpected transition, dreaded health diagnoses, broken relationships, and unfulfilled promises are the great common denominators. Very often, we don’t see another’s suffering, we don’t know another’s disappointment or the circumstances that bring sorrow and grief. Knowing that the incarnate God who came to us in a suffering Christ walks with us in our suffering is our anchor and our hope. The following resources are representative of what the Resource Center provides in our collection on loss and grief.

Julie K. Aageson,
Director of the Resource Center
Coordinator, ELCA Resource Centers

Both The Lutheran Magazine (external link) and The Little Lutheran (external link) include ongoing stories and resources for dealing with difficult economic times. The March, 2009 issue includes a cover story about how ELCA congregations and members are coping with stress and loss. Helpful tips are included. A free January, 2009 e-newsletter from The Little Lutheran “Faith and the Economy: Managing stress around young children” (external link) offers ways families’ faith can help them.

Lent provides an important time this year for congregations to enjoy a meal together, worship, and reflect about some of the challenges many people are facing. As individuals and families worry about the possibility of job losses and other economic uncertainties, Lenten suppers and other occasions for gathering together can be a time and a “safe place” for connecting with one another.

Some congregations are inviting opportunities for their members and others in the community to hear from social workers, business leaders, and other community people to talk about career connections, social services, business opportunities, and any other topics that address current concerns. These can be simple adult education forums on a Sunday morning, a weekend retreat, or a workshop where information and connections are shared. A workshop at the synod assembly also will focus on stress and dealing with difficult times.

To Comfort and To Honor is a comprehensive guide for helping families deal with the death and suffering. It provides a framework for preparing for a loved one’s death, expectations and decision making at the time of a death, and rituals and detailed information for planning a funeral. (B1907)

Language of the Heart shares rituals, stories, and information about death. (B2185)

Joyce Rupp’s many books on loss and suffering are written with poetic grace and theological integrity. Among the best are Praying Our Goodbyes, about the end of a friendship, a financial struggle, illness, a job change-losses that have given life meaning and value; May I Have This Dance, focusing on relationships that help guide us through joy and sorrow; Little Pieces of Light-Darkness and Personal Growth encourages readers to approach painful, inner darkness as a help rather than a hindrance to growth; and The Cup of Our Life uses a cup as a metaphor for difficult times. (B2115) (B1183) (B1568) (B1804)

Herb Brokering’s I’m Thinking of You-Spiritual Letters of Hope and Healing looks at ways to offer hope to those recovering from illness. (B1653)

Printed Resources

Written by area authors Jan Nelson and Pastor David Aaker, The Bereavement Ministry Program- A Comprehensive Guide for Churches offers a wealth of resources for responding to the needs of people in grief. It provides ideas for adults, children, and teenagers and addresses topics like the death of a spouse, a parent, young child, adult child, long-term illness, suicide, murder, infertility, AIDS, and other traumatic losses. It includes resources for insomnia, worry reduction, relaxation, managing stress, meditation, and a ritual for saying goodbye. An update of this resource will be available soon. (PR515)

Wheat Ridge Ministries publishes a number of helpful booklets including Odyssey of a Pain-Filled Life by Carol Ebeling and An Odyssey Through Cancer by W. J. Fields. (PR713) (PR711)

Children Are Not Paper Dolls is written from the perspective of children and illustrates how children deal with loss and grief. (PR379)

“Mother Teresa and Father Damien refused to look the other way… they chose to walk head-on into the most extreme situations of suffering and death that continue to be part of life.” A resource for a seven-day retreat, Retreat with Mother Teresa and Damien of Molokai-Caring for Those Who Suffer shows participants how to find God “in [God's] most distressing disguise.” (PR624)

To help children cope with loss, Guiding Children Through Life’s Losses offers sixteen prayers and lessons for assisting and acknowledging loss, for expressing feelings and attempting to recognize the experience as an opportunity for healing and growth. (PR603)

Books

Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl’s Turn My Heart gathers together prayers and psalms, songs and scripture, poems and pictures, all truly remarkable vehicles of comfort and grace. It includes prayer services that can be used for small groups or congregational use and community prayer. It’s the first resource I go to when there is a tragedy, illness, loss of hope, and so many other reasons for grief and loss. Music CD and book. (B2850) (CD6)

Augsburg Fortress publishes a series called Difficult Times (external link) dealing with depression, chronic illness, divorce, mental issues, the loss of a job and more. (B2759=)

Stilling the Storm: Worship and Congregational Leadership in Difficult Times (The Alban Institute) by Kathleen S. Smith combines liturgical and theological insight for pastors and congregations as they walk through difficulty and hard times. (B3310)

Gerhard Frost’s The Color of the Night takes the experience of Job to write about the “dark night of the soul” and the soul-searching that comes from thinking God has abandoned us. (B189)

Author Marva Dawn writes about the message of hope, grace and comfort to early Christians as they faced suffering in her book, Joy in Our Weakness. (B1750)

Can You Drink The Cup? is Henri Nouwen’s beautiful little essay on the spiritual life, living the life given to us even in its brokenness and disappointments. (B1791)

Daniel Simundson’s Where is God in My Suffering is a classic on God’s presence in the midst of loss and grief. (B797)

Grace All Around Us: Embracing God’s Promise in Tragedy and Loss by Stephen Paul Bouman was written in the aftermath of 9/11. (B3347)

From AFP’s Lutheran Voices, Will I Sing Again? Listening for the Melody of Grace in the Silence of Illness and Loss by John McCullough Bade deals with chronic and debilitating illness. (B2832)

For daily prayer, Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief by Martha Whitmore Hickman is for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. (B3538)

Douglas John Hall has written a major work on the reality of suffering in God and Human Suffering. This classic goes beyond simply addressing the topic of suffering to the affirmation that God creates, sustains, and redeems and that suffering—loneliness, experience of limits, temptation, anxiety—are necessary parts of God’s good creation. (B832)

Life is Goodbye, Life is Hello addresses the importance of grieving through all kinds of loss. (B1178)

Avoiding the cliches of grief is the theme in I Know Just How You Feel. (B1034)

Video / DVD

Walter Wangerin draws from his own experience of cancer in Confronting Death: A Christian Approach to the End of Life (Paraclete Press). This five-part conversation goes way beyond acknowledging the difficulties of illness and eventual death and explores stages of grief and loss, caring for those who are ill, handling pain, and much more. (DVD250)

The short film, Nooma: Matthew speaks to the suffering that comes with the loss of someone we love. (DVD163)

Joyce Rupp explores transitions in life like the ending of a relationship, a death, a career change, a move, or a change in one’s life in Spiritual Growth in Tough Times: Find a Reason to Hope. She compares the great cycles of life and nature to our own inner cycles. (VT1942)

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss provides authentic experiences of loss and grief that don’t assume “right” or prescribed ways of dealing with difficult times. (DVD234) (B2320) (VT2453)

Joan Chittister addresses themes of suffering and loss in two video resources, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope and Transfiguration Ministry to a Wounded World. Both deal with times of pain and sorrow, depression and stress. (VT2276, VT2277, VT2429)

Walter Brueggemann asks questions like “have you ever wondered if God cares about our suffering” and “does my suffering matter at all to God?” in Is It Alright with God If We Suffer? from the series, Faith and Reason II. This discussion addresses classical notions about God’s ability to deal with evil. (VT1878)

In the series, Great Figures of the Bible, Elie Wiesel tells the Story of Job weaving together images of suffering and sacrifice that characterize that classic Old Testament story. (VT1251)

Spiritual Homepage’s “Suffering” invites viewers to consider our common experience of suffering. The topic is introduced by a well-known thinker, a profile of someone whose life experience reflects a deep encounter with suffering is shared, a film or event from history illustrates the same theme helping viewers better understand their own experience of suffering. (VT1747)

Lessons on Living with Morrie Schwartz, an ABC Special featuring Ted Koppel’s interview with a sociology professor from Brandeis University whose experience of death and dying is recorded in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, is a helpful resource about “things seen and unseen,” the joys and sorrows of life that all of us experience. (VT2111)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance – 2009

The following resources may be helpful for your Lenten planning. They are available from the EaND Synod Resource Center.

40 Day Journeys

This series from Augsburg Fortress invites meditation, individual study, and group discussion. Journeys are with Joan Chittister, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kathleen Norris, Madeleine L’Engle, Parker Palmer, and Julian of Norwich. In addition, the Book of Faith 40-Day Lenten Journey includes forty personal daily readings and weekly worship with the study of scripture. Preview copies available. (AFP)

Signs of Lent

This adult study is a spiritual encounter with texts from Matthew and John.

• Lent 1 addresses Jesus’ encounter with solitude and self-denial in the wilderness.
• Lent 2 tells the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus to reflect on his own spiritual journey. Lent 3 is the story of the Samaritan Woman.
• Lent 4 tells of the blind man seeking healing and its effect on the community.
• Lent 5 is about the death of a friend challenging Jesus to put his own life in jeopardy.
• Lent 6 describes Judas becoming the instrument of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion.
• The Easter segment shows the risen Christ meeting Mary Magdalene and commissioning her as the first evangelist.

Themes in order: Sand, Wind, Water, Earth, Rock, Tree, Light. PDF leader guide files included. (DVD185) (Logos)

Unfailing Light

This Lenten liturgy of evening prayer and communion includes the beautiful music of Marty Haugen and texts and images by Susan Briehl. (AFP) (GIA)

Journey Through the Psalms

Bring the Psalms to life for prayer and worship and learn to approach God with the emotional intensity of the ancient psalmists. Based on the book of the same name, this eight-session study is led by the book’s author. It includes a DVD, leader’s guide, participant book, a copy of the book, Journey Through the Psalms, and a set of promotional materials. It is a general bible study that immerses participants in the rich texts of the Psalms. Each DVD segment is 6-15 minutes. (K159) (Wesley Ministry Network)

God is Here!

This Lenten video series invites participants to reflect more deeply on worship life. Five sessions focus on liturgical objects and include video clips of congregational stories. (VT2114) (ELCA)

Bible People Monologues for Lent

This downloadable resource can be found online at Augsburg Fortress (external link) (AFP)

Were You There? Six Plays for the Lenten Season

These six biblical dramas reenact the sacred events of the passion. (AFP)

Journey Through Lent with Mark

This guide to the Gospel of Mark is for daily reflection and/or group study. (AFP)

The Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John

John’s account of Jesus’ arrest and trial unfolds in several stages which are carefully explored. His account of the crucifixion recognizes that Jesus suffered a brutal form of execution thus raising the question of what Jesus’ death means for us. Finally, John’s gospel also includes at least four different perspectives on the meaning of the crucifixion which are discussed extensively. This resource includes three lectures and a comprehensive study guide that poses provocative questions. It’s an excellent program for congregational study, especially during Lent and/or Holy Week. (DVD229) (Select Multimedia)

Lent: A Time of Renewal

A seven part program for reflecting on the gospels and our baptismal covenant, this series uses true stories, drama, music, and visual meditations with Lenten themes including temptation, Jesus as “living water”, “light of the world”, and “resurrection and life.” (DVD210) (St. Anthony Messenger Press)

Creative Communication Kits

The Resource Center has a wide selection of Lenten worship services available for preview.

Stations of the Cross

Magnificent visual images and a beautiful music score combine with thought provoking meditations for each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. Will help listeners relate events in Christ’s life to our own. (VT2286) We also have a set of sixteen Stations of the Cross posters. (K26) (Franciscan Communications)

Character Portrayals for Lent

This set of dramatic character portrayals for Lent includes scripts for many biblical characters as well as two video programs from Calvary Lutheran Church, Golden Valley, MN (external link), where these dramas have taken place. Author Rev. Steve Dornbusch wrote these in conjunction with Mark Holmen’s Lenten Faith Mentoring Program. (K145) (Youth and Family Institute)

Forty Days and Forty Nights: A Lenten Ark

Count down the days of Lent aboard an ark with Noah’s family and all the animals. The colorful ark has windows and doors to open for each day of Lent and the Easter Triduum. Open one window each day to discover who is on board. The accompanying booklet by Peter Mazar connects the animals on the ark to Lenten values and provides guidance for daily prayer. (K149) (Liturgy Training Publications)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Lent 2009

Coming soon to the resource center is Book of Faith Course I. Watch too for a Lenten resource called 40 Days with the Book of Faith. A set of CDs by John Shea focusing on the gospels, Gospel Food for Hungry Christians: Images and Reflections from the Gospels by John Shea provides stimulating insights into  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  (CDs 37, 38, 39, 40)

A newly revised DVD by Mark Allen Powell, How Lutherans Interpret the Bible is a seven session introduction to basic issues of biblical interpretation.  Titles include The Word of God, What Lutherans Say About the Bible, Where the Bible Comes From, Interpreting the Bible in Context, Determining Right from Wrong, The Many Meanings of the Bible, and Devotional Bible Reading.  (DVD228)

Romans: Living Faithfully is a twelve session DVD course for exploring the great themes in Romans.  Participants will experience an overview of this important letter and basic insights into what Paul meant by the bad news of human sin and the good news of justification.  Presented by Walter Taylor, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary.  (DVD225)

Another helpful New Testament resource is David Rhoad’s Dramatic Presentation of Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.  This dramatic reading of the epistle to the  Galatians illustrates the power of the spoken word.  It also includes background on the church at Galatia and a feature on justification.  (DVD227)

The Gospel of John is a new six session overview of the structure and theology of John’s gospel. Presentations are by Robert Kysar.  (DVD226)

Craig Koester’s The Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John could serve as an additional look at John’s account of Jesus’ arrest and trial including four different perspectives on the meaning of the crucifixion.  Three lectures and a comprehensive study guide.  (DVD229)

Encountering God in Scripture: Finding Yourself in the Story of God includes ten 5-minute sessions on “the big questions about the Bible.”  Five short bible studies and a study guide are also included.  (DVD201)

Opening the Book of Faith: Lutheran Insights for Bible Study is a must have.  This basic introduction to bible study by Diane Jacobson, Mark Allan Powell, and Stanley Olson.  Four sample studies are included.

Additional resources for the Book of Faith can be found in “Biblical Resources for Congregational Life,” a Recommended Resource Collection from the resource center, as well as in the Topic: ELCA Book of Faith section of this website.

New from Rob Bell

If you’ve not had a chance to view the Nooma films by Rob Bell, you might like to take at the newest Nooma films:  Nooma: She on feminine language and imagery for God and Nooma: Open on prayer.  These short (10-12 minutes) films address questions of faith and life in deeply meaningful ways.

Exploration of Faith and Emerging Church Resources

Many new resources on the topic of the emerging church are available.  The downloadable Recommended Resource Sheet entitled “Being Church in the 21st Century: Themes from the Emerging Church” is a good place to start.

The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church is a ten-session DVD curriculum by Reggie McNeal.  It’s meant to help participants recognize six important realities church leaders must face if they are to move beyond “churchianity” to a more authentic, missional faith.  (Leader and participant guide) (DVD202)

Logos Productions is highlighting a recent book by Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity together with two very interesting companion resources:

1. Experiencing the Heart of Christianity is a twelve session program for small groups led by Tim Scorer and Borg (accompanying DVD) divided into two main parts: Seeing the Christian Tradition Again and Seeing the Christian Life Again.  (B3435)
2. Living the Heart of Christianity -also a companion to Borg’s book- is a guide for putting faith into action.  (B3434)

Tom Wright, whose New Testament work continues to enrich Christian life and study, has recently produced Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. He offers a fresh  presentation of the timeless truths of Christianity making the case that faith is reasonable and rewarding for us today.  In this ten session course, Wright expands on the themes of his acclaimed book “Simply Christian” in video-based lessons.  (DVD186)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: More Book of Faith and Emerging Church Resources

Signs of Lent is an adult study that follows the weekly texts for Cycle A from Matthew and John. Each segment is 10-12 minutes and follows a simple format:

• Gather and Center offers a simple worship ritual focusing on an art image selected for the week
• Enter and Engage explores the gospel passages sharing background information and inviting reflection on participants’ own faith journeys
• Ask Yourself suggests questions that offer that might stimulate fruitful dialog with scripture, self, and others
• Ponder and Pray gathers the threads of the scripture and weaves them into a closing ritual

A four session small group study on DVD may be helpful for thinking about faith practices. Based on the means of grace, Opening Ourselves to Grace: Basic Christian Practices explores basic practices through a four part video presentation, a six-week bible study, a discussion guide for group leaders, and additional resources.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: New Ideas for Lent