Go & Tell the Story

 By Diane Harpster, Administrative Assistant to the Bishop "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15 As we near the time of year when our hearts and minds turn to giving thanks, I find myself experiencing mixed emotions.  I know I’m not alone in that.  As we briefly considered meeting up somewhere with our children who live out of state, we quickly realized that’s probably not the thing to do this year.  As much as we long to be together, we long more for this pandemic time to be over.  And we are grateful for technology that makes it possible to still be able to gather safely across the miles through a virtual connection.    Even though we are not yet through this time that has presented extreme challenges and changes in the daily life of each and every one of us, Thanksgiving is here again.  And we don’t have to look far to find things for which we are g...

By Diane Harpster, Administrative Assistant to the Bishop My baptism took place in the little church in the country a few miles from my family’s home.   I was just a few weeks old so I have no memories of the day. I have a small photo that I am told was taken at the lunch later that day.   In that photo taken in front of the piano in my grandparents’ parlor, I am held and surrounded by my parents, my parents’ parents, and four great-grandparents.   Another set of great-grandparents were living in Germany and though I never got to meet them, I have a letter written by Great-grandpa August, sharing their joy In the news of the birth of a first great-grandchild born in America.   I was celebrated and held by people of faith across several continents. I grew up loved and supported by this family of birth, most living within miles of my home, and that same rural church community.   These were the people who showed me what it meant to live am...

By Diane Harpster, Administrative Assistant to the Bishop Dare to love and to be a real friend.   The love you give and receive is a reality that will lead you closer and closer to God as well as those whom God has given you to love.      -Henri Nouwen As I write this, our Lenten journey has brought us once again to Holy Week.   In these next few days in worship we walk through the story of   Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.    Each year, I try to somehow imagine what those actual days must have been like; for Jesus, for his disciples, for those who loved Jesus and must have been confused and afraid by events unfolding around them.   What would it have felt like to be present in those days? I find it difficult to fully grasp the pain of witnessing Jesus’ crucifixion.   I can hardly stay present even in my imagination.   It is equally difficult to transport myself to the empty tomb as...

By Diane Harpster,  Administrative Assistant to the Bishop My daily drive to and from work is a time of day when I get to enjoy the signs of the seasons in the hills, valleys, and fields along Highway 36 between Fremont and Omaha.   Maybe it’s because I celebrated a milestone birthday this year, but it seems that the time between the appearance of the first tender, green shoots of corn and beans in the fields and today’s ready-for-harvest crop has passed awfully quickly this year.   The adage “the older you get, the faster times goes” rings pretty true to my experience these days. I find myself wondering how, as a little girl who loved the freedom and solitude of the farm, summer would stretch out as an almost endless expanse of time for reading, biking and horseback riding, dreaming, creating.   And, of course, the chores, which gave a sense of purpose and responsibility to the daily routine. Today, it takes intentional effort to ...