Fill… Spill… Thrill…

Lisa Kramme
Director of Faith Formation
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

Can you see yourself in either of these scenarios?

A high school youth regularly helps with Vacation Bible School. You comment to the young man, “I can see you as an elementary teacher someday!”

A stay-at-home mom capably assists your congregation’s bookkeeper with recording income and expenses. You share with her, “If you ever consider working outside the home, I think you really have the gifts to be an accountant!”

In my opinion, people are usually very good at suggesting career paths to others as we see them exhibit their God-given skills, but here’s what I wonder—do we intentionally point out to others the gifts we see in them for the rostered ministry? I am not so sure that, even within the Church, people with gifts for ministry hear from trusted friends and mentors often enough.

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Lisa Kramme
Director of Faith Formation
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

There was a song I learned at Girl Scout day camp years ago. We sang it as a round, and the words were, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” Maybe because we sang it in a round—over and over and over—or maybe just because it had a simple message and a sweet tune, I can remember the words and melody like I sang this song just yesterday. Maybe I remember the song because it’s true. It is good to make new friends. It is good to remember old friends. Each has value. Each can add new dimensions to my world.

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Lisa Kramme
Director of Faith Formation
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

Images are often the inspiration that I need to begin writing. I see something and it reminds me of a story I’ve heard before. Sometimes what I see has its own, new story that it shares with me and I try to pass it along to others.

Searching for an inspiring image to begin this article on a new stewardship project the Nebraska Synod is launching, I looked to Google Images for a source of inspiration, typing the word, “stewardship” into the search box. More than 6,370,000 images were found on the topic.
There were images of dollar bills peeking out from the pages of the Bible. There were pictures of various types of trees and photos of cupped hands holding a bit of earth and a growing seedling. There were images of church buildings and several pie charts, divided and labeled with how people spend their resources.

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