Author: Higher Things

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News

yourHT: For You MN, Day One

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 26, 2007

by Rev. Rich Heinz

Here I am, at my first Higher Things conference! Am I crazy? I woke up at 3:15 this morning to have enough time for the TSA line after less than four hours of sleep, got on a little jet from Louisville to O’Hare, and then switched planes to get to Minneapolis. So…is it worth it? Oh, yes!

Every morning this week, check myHT (or the main site at http://higherthings.org/) for an update of the previous day’s “blog” about For You.

WORSHIP

A joyous “Amen!” For You began with a so-good-you-had-chills-down-your-spine Divine Service. It was Lutheran Service Book’s Divine Service, Setting 3 (formerly known as “Page 15.”) The beauty and drama attending the Lord’s Gifts were increased by violin, woodwinds and brass instruments, as well as the Rev. Kantor Richard Resch’s masterful organ skills.

The University of Minnesota’s Ted Mann Concert Center was “Lutheranized,” transforming it into a fitting liturgical space. Green and white banners hung around the balconies. Paraments adorned the podium to dress it as a pulpit, and proper linens to cover the altar. The newest piece of art for Higher Things is a crucifix coming from the Rev. Mark Mumme. (More on this work of art in the coming days!)

Pastor David Kind, the host pastor, was both preacher and celebrant for the Divine Service, with ten other pastors assisting him. Add to all of this some 1200-1300 voices intrepidly singing, and you have some amazing thanksgiving for His Gifts – given FOR YOU!

WORK

The “work” of the conference is the catechetical sessions. There are plenaries that are attended by everyone, 3-session electives for “In-Depth” sectionals, and 45-minute electives to choose for the Breakaway sectionals.

I am attending Pastor Kind’s Hitchiker’s Guide to the Sanctuary: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly for my In-Depth. Today he spoke of Old Testament origins of art, God’s prohibition of graven images made for worshiping, and God’s very specific design for the Tabernacle and Temple.

Pastor George Borghardt and Sandra Ostapowich led Youth Ministry 101: Youth Ministry for Dummies (like us). Landon Reed, Higher Things’ Retreat Executive added his experience as well. Among other things, some myths about youth were debunked, such as: 1.) Youth don’t want to study the Word of God, 2.) Youth are ignorant, 3.) Youth don’t want substance, 4.) Youth only want “contemporary Christian music,” and 5.) Youth don’t want structure. Much Bible study is the key to truly Lutheran youth work, in addition to scheduled recreation – not “fun” activities with a little devotion tacked on. (We’re back to the adage of not mingling worship, work and play.)

PLAY

Meeting youth, leaders, and pastors from all across the country is an amazing thing. Already today, I know I’ve met someone from Pennsylvania and another from Albuquerque. My kind chauffer from the airport is a Concordia, St. Paul student from Fargo, ND.

Pastor Mark Buetow’s fun crowd from Bethel, Du Quoin, IL have taught me a new hand greeting, that will soon be all the rage!()

More is planned, such as special arrangements in the student union, and a Saint Paul Saints game.

WORSHIP

As the day began with worship, so it ends. Evening Prayer is a gem from Lutheran Service Book, and what a cool service to experience with this entourage! Pastor Kind officiated, chanting beautifully, and indeed, our prayers rose before God as incense! Pastor Marcus Zill preached on the incredible, almighty, so-holy-you-can’t-see-Him-and-live God, entering our flesh FOR YOU!

Private confession and absolution is available to those who desire thisgift! And, an order of Compline is available for use in the dorms.

Although I have watched Higher Things with admiration for some time, I am finally a participant, and blessed to be on staff! I am going to bed well after midnight, thanking God for allowing me the gift of being here! What a joy to join my “Amen” with those of the youth and adults gathered here with me, being reminded that Christ does this all FOR YOU!

Rev. Rich Heinz is Senior Pastor of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church & School in Lanesville, IN. He is the editor of myHT, and a first time participant and breakout speaker for a Higher Things conference.

[This article is copied from Higher Things’ newest resource, myHT, “where Christian freedom meets the internet”. Check it out!]

Current Events

yourHT: For You MN, Day Two

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 26, 2007

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

Technical difficulties with posting “Day 1” kept me up, fighting with my laptop computer until 2:30 a.m. CDT. Since my body is still on Eastern Daylight Time, I had been up for 24 hours. Do I still think this is worth it? Oh, yes! Absolutely!

Every morning this week, check myHT (or the main site at http://higherthings.org) for an update of the previous day’s “blog” about For You.

WORSHIP

We began our day following breakfast with Matins. It is amazing; even after everyone had a late night, the vast majority are all gathering for services. The chapel is practically filled to capacity, including the multiple balconies. Have you ever experienced well over 1,000 people singing their hearts out for the Te Deum? A splendid gift!

Pastor Kind has an amazing voice for chanting. Kantor Resch’s upper body moves with such expression that you can “feel” the hymn as he skillfully plays the Lord’s music. And Pastor Brent Kuhlman preached an outstanding sermon on Jesus’ Baptism FOR YOU! (Watch for this to soon appear as a “Higher Homily.”)

WORK

Today was my first day of working as a catechist. What a joy! I taught two sessions of the Breakaway sectional on The Gospel in Star Wars. While George Lucas has used a syncretistic blend of many religions, we explored a number of ways to use Star Wars as a parable to remember Gospel.

The second session for Hitchiker’s Guide to the Sanctuary delved into New Testament references, and beautiful slides of church art from the first three centuries after Jesus’ ascension. The use of art to teach and correspond with Scripture, along with the intricacies of that art, is amazing! (Have you noticed I seem to be adding another pastor to my personal “pantheon” of heroes?)

I also attended Pastor Marcus Zill’s breakaway sectional on campus ministry. Practical ideas were shared as he taught on reaching students with the Gospel at this critical time in their lives.

Pastor Bill Cwirla began his time today as a plenary catechist. His balance of humorous moments with serious and meaty substance is a talent. He joked that someone told him on his 50th birthday that he finally reached middle age. We think the whole Church hopes that at 50, he truly has just hit “middle age,” and can teach youth for years to come.

PLAY

This evening, we had “Coffman Memorial Union Night,” with dinner at the union food court, a chance to see “The Nativity Story,” and the opportunity to use the game room, Open Mic Karaoke, board games, or attend an astronomy club presentation. There was truly something for everyone.

Meeting people continues to be a highlight. I correspond via email with Sandra Ostapowich and Stan Lemon between five and ten times a week, yet this was my first chance to meet these friends and co-workers. Pastor Matt Ruesch, who has written Harry Potter articles for myHT, introduced himself, as well. I was a little nervous, discovering that Rachael Soyk (who wrote the myHT article on “Star Wars at 30”) attended my breakaway session.

WORSHIP

Vespers was prayed this afternoon, with Pastor Jon Sollberger preaching. The sermons here have all been tremendous! Again, the house is packed, people are singing out, and the Gospel is gladly received. The night ended with Pastor Mark Buetow, editor of the Daily Reflections, preaching for Evening Prayer.

If you have only thought about attending a Higher Things conference, or haven’t begun to consider it, start now! I have yet to find someone here that isn’t learning. Nor have I heard anyone having a boring time. Worship, work, and play are in a blessed balance here. A balance that is completely FOR YOU!

You may wish to read Pastor Matt Ruesch’s experience of For You on his blog, The Minnesota Lutheran. Check it out at: http://www.mnlutheran.com/2007/07/his-bloodfor-you.html

Current Events

yourHT: For You MN, Day One

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 25, 2007

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

WORSHIP

WORK

PLAY

Pastor Mark Buetow’s fun crowd from Bethel, Du Quoin, IL have taught me a new hand greeting, that will soon be all the rage!()

More is planned, such as special arrangements in the student union, and a Saint Paul Saints game.

WORSHIP

Private confession and absolution is available to those who desire thisgift! And, an order of Compline is available for use in the dorms.

News

12 Days Until FOR YOU Asheville!!!!

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 20, 2007

Dear Group Leaders,

With just TWELVE DAYS TO GO before the Asheville Higher Things FOR YOU Conferences, we are being swamped with a number of similar questions. This email should answer most of those questions FOR YOU. Group leaders should make sure all the adults with their group are familiar with this information before leaving for Asheville.

We’re really getting excited to see everyone next week and want to make everything run as smoothly as possible. If you have additional questions, please check the conference website. A lot of information has recently been added in the options in the left-hand column!

In Christ,

Pr. George Borghardt
2007 Asheville FOR YOU Conference Coordinator

DIRECTIONS
For directions to Ridgecrest, click HERE.

MAPS
HERE is a campus map of the Ridgecrest Conference Center in case you do!

PARKING
There is both bus and car parking at the Ridgecrest site.

CHECK-IN PROCEDURE
No more than two adults per group should check-in at conference Registration. Registration check-in is located in Pritchell Hall. When you pull into Ridgecrest, you’ll see a giant white building with pillars. It’ll say, “Ridgecrest” – that’s Pritchell hall! That’s where you go to register your groups! After checking in with the Conference Registrar, you will verify your group’s housing assignment and receive room keys. You will also be given your group’s conference handbooks, meal cards, T-shirts and any further information.

HOUSING
Housing assignments have been sent out. If you have not received the assignments for your group, please contact housing@higherthings.org.

REGISTRATION HOURS
Regular check-in hours will take place on Monday, July 30 between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. If your group (or a designated leader) cannot arrive between those hours on Monday, you will need to notify the Registrar to make arrangements for your group to check in. Regular Registration will open again on Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. Unless prior arrangements have been made, groups should not expect to check-in before 8:00 a.m.

RED v. BLUE
Now that registrations are finalized, we will be assigning groups to either the RED or BLUE groups. This division is primarily to accommodate the large number of people we have for meals and some catechesis sessions. Congregational groups will be kept together in the RED and BLUE groups. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for the RED and BLUE groups to do things together! You will find out which group you are in when you check in.

REGISTRATION CHANGES
For the sanity of our Registrar and Housing Manager, we have frozen the user side of the online registration. ALL registration and housing changes from this point forward must go directly through them. Email Registrar@HigherThings.org or Housing@HigherThings.org if you have any registration or housing changes that need to be made.

INTERNET ACCESS
Internet access is available in a number of areas on the Ridgecrest campus. The specific locations are listed in your conference book.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND CHECKS OR FORMS BY MAIL – At this late date, they will not arrive in time!! Please notify the Registrar and bring them to Asheville with you.

TRAVEL PRAYERS
Some congregations like to incorporate special sending or travel prayers before their youth leave for the conference. Our conference Chaplains have provided some prayers for you to use HERE. Our conference’s hymn is “O Love, How Deep” (LSB #544) if you’d like to use that in your services as well.

WHAT TO BRING?
Appropriate clothing (please dress modestly; also, some people like to dress up for the Divine Services), light jacket or sweater, comfortable shoes for walking, catechism, Bible, notebook, pen, camera, snacks, umbrella, bug spray, sunscreen, a flashlight, and spending money. I strongly suggest: WATER, WATER, and MORE WATER.

Lodging at FOR YOU is generally dormitory style. Linens (sheets, blanket, pillow, towel and washcloth) are provided. Rooms are normally NOT equipped with items such as soap, shampoo, cups, blowdryers, refrigerators, phones, televisions, microwaves, alarm clocks, or hot tubs.

All meals in the cafeteria during the conference are included in your registration fee. If you come a day early or stay a date late, two meals (supper/breakfast) on campus are included in that fee as well. There is a pizza and ice cream shop on site for those who want a late night snack.

LAST MINUTE QUESTIONS?
Next week, our staff will be at FOR YOU in Minneapolis! We will be pretty focused on what’s going on up there, but we will get to your questions as fast as we can. Please be patient – especially on Monday and Tuesday (8/23-24). There is a pretty comprehensive FOR YOU FAQ on the web page. Check it out!

I am looking forward to seeing y’all in Asheville in twelve days!!

In Christ,

Pr. George Borghardt
2007 Asheville FOR YOU Conference Coordinator

Pop. Culture & the Arts

Higher Movies: Evan Almighty

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 18, 2007

by Sandra Ostapowich

Did you know that the story of Noah in the Bible is really a love story? A story about people loving each other, believing in each other, working together – side by side, two by two, in pairs, families. It’s true! God said it. Well, Morgan Freeman said it and he’s played God in TWO movies, so it must be at least kinda true. And the ark wasn’t really a ginormous boat floating in a a worldwide flood or anything like that. It was about Noah’s A.R.K. – his Acts of Random Kindness to the critters and people on the boat. Ain’t that precious? If you haven’t been to church in a few years and can’t remember the last time you opened a Bible but vaguely remember a story about Noah – that sounds pretty good, right?

In the wake of the success from its predecessor movie, Bruce Almighty, the writers of Evan Almighty, decided to go for a sequel and actually market it to Christians as a family movie this time. This time, the main character, Evan Baxter (Steve Carrell, also a TV news anchor) has just been elected to the U.S. Congress on the campaign slogan that he will “Change the World!” Evan and his wife, Joan (of Ark, ha ha – get it?) and their three sons move to the outskirts of Washington D.C. to a new and elite housing community in a beautiful Virginia valley.

Well, first, some cliché things start happening around the house. Pairs of critters show up in his yard and follow him around. The cryptic combination of “GEN 6:13” starts pops up all over the place in the movie, clocks, alarms, license plates…). A strange crate full of Old Testament-looking carpentry tools from Alpha Omega Hardware is mysteriously delivered to the front door. A huge pallet of wood is dropped off in his driveway by Go-4-Wood…

That’s where he meets God. Literally. God shows up at his house. Evan wants to change the world, so God picks him to build an ark. You know…like Noah. A flood is coming and he needs to get ready, like Genesis 6:13 says: “And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’” I’m really not sure what this verse has to do with anything in the movie though.

Reluctantly, Evan agrees to the task. And the strange stuff continues. Pairs of animals follow him everywhere, birds of all sizes and shapes fly in any open window of the House of Representatives (which apparently is not air-conditioned) to perch on every horizontal surface on or near Evan. His hair, which we know from Carell’s previous stint in 40-Year-Old Virgin is already abundant, really starts to grow like mad. He starts working on the ark. It’s not too bad – God sent a kit.

But this whole ark-building thing is starting to interfere with his job.

Yes, everyone’s noticing that something’s different with Evan. Joan thinks he’s going through a mid-life crisis and leaves with the kids. His staff at the House think he’s gone completely wackadoo. Rita, Evan’s assistant, played by Wanda Sykes, is a master of the obvious and says what everyone’s thinking. But then again, she just makes me laugh in general.

Right on the first day in office, Evan was hand-picked by the uber-powerful senior Congressman Long to help him push through a bill that would allow corporations to build on national park land. It’s a huge honor and opportunity for a brand-spankin’ new Congressman like Evan to get such a nod and begin his political ladder-climbing. His ambition and eager staff urge him to sign on to support the bill despite any moral misgivings. However, Long is hardly impressed by Evan’s antics and the fame it’s drawing.

But that’s not such a big deal once his wild hair and ZZ-Top beard turns stark white and he starts walking around in homespun robes and sandals.

Meanwhile, Joan and the boys stop at a diner where God is their waiter. (This is where the theology gets halfway decent – but only halfway, mind you.) Of course, God isn’t just any waiter, he’s been listening to Joan’s prayers. While not particularly religious, before the family left for their new life, Joan prayed that they all would be brought closer together. God tells her that those kinds of prayers aren’t answered by just suddenly making the family best buds, but by giving them opportunities to grow closer, like common projects, working together, teamwork.

So Joan and the boys take waiter-God’s words to heart and return home to work on bringing their family closer together by helping dad (and a whole bunch of critters) build that crazy ark. Of course, their homecoming is followed by the musical montage featuring side-splitting construction site antics involving monkeys and llamas and elephants, oh my!

Finally, the ark is finished and the animals are even loaded into their specialized compartments. With news crews and police watching, Evan waits for the promised flood. All the publicity has made Congressman Long rather annoyed, and he shows up with a demolition crew to take down the ark due to zoning violations.

Just moments before the ark is taken out by the wrecking ball, we learn the truth about the whole situation with the Congressman Long’s bill and the demo crew. Long and his capitalist-pig buddies actually got a cut of the profits for the new housing development where Evan’s family lives. The valley was actually a river valley and Long’s buddies cut corners when building the dam holding back the river and…oh did I spoil the complex and suspense-riddled plot of the movie? So sorry.

SOMEHOW Evan’s ark “magically” sails through the valley on otherwise unseen waters that just appear out of nowhere, straight into downtown Washington D.C., up the National Mall and coming to a stop right against the Capitol building. Long is exposed as the capitalist monster he is and Evan vindicated and the river valley has been restored to its original pristine natural state. I guess we’re supposed to ignore that an entire housing development is under water.

I’m not sure what I was hoping for, this is Hollywood after all. But I certainly wasn’t expecting the environmentalist diatribe. I’m very happy that all the wood from the ark was donated to Habitat for Humanity and that this was the first movie to leave no environmental “footprint” behind from their sets on site. It’s very nice that people have been encouraged to their own Acts of Random Kindness. However, I go to a movie to be entertained, laugh a bit, maybe even think a little. None of that happened in Evan Almighty. Instead, I got a socio-political sermon in movie form, complete with lame jokes. I guess in this day and age when sermons have to entertain and entertainment preaches I shouldn’t be surprised. But I’m still disappointed. Wait to rent this one. And think twice before doing that.

Sandra Ostapowich is Board of Directors Secretary for Higher Things Inc. and the Minneapolis FOR YOU Conference Coordinator. Her youth group in Loveland, CO made fun of her for taking notes during the movie, but they never dreamed those notes would get this far.

Pop. Culture & the Arts

We’ll Always Have A Paris

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 17, 2007

by The Rev. George F. Borghardt III

Paris Hilton Why bother? She’s in jail, she’s out of jail, she’s back in the jail. She eats, she doesn’t eat. Does she have a rash? A twitch? Who really cares? Now she’s out and it’s like nothing happened! She’s right back to partying.

We all care. We should might as well confess it. We’ve all watched – whether because we want to mock it, are compelled rubber-neck gawk at it like a train-wreck, love-to-hate it, or simply can’t avoid it – we’ve all heard about it. We all know about it.

It’s sick. It’s twisted. Just about everyone wants to be like her, which fuels our jealousy into hated. Her behavior She is so unbelievably spoiled, don’t you just have to wish evil on her to balance things out? Doesn’t it just feel good that she finally got what was dueshe had coming her? She sure learned her lesson, didn’t she?

But, it really isn’t our place to judge, is it? We aren’t her parents. Nor are we her judge or jury. We aren’t given to make the call decide whether or not she is guilty – that’s what the courts are for. That’s what Caesar is for. That’s why he’s been given the sword and we haven’t.

“But, she’s so spoiled!” That’s not my call, not yours either. Don’t fall into more sin. We are given to tend to ourselves, to bear our own burdens, and to love those around us as ourselves. If someone is going to judge her, let it be Jesus.

They brought Him a woman caught in adultery. She was guilty as sin – caught right in the act!. They set her in His midst. “The Law of Moses says she this woman should be stoned. What do you say, Jesus?” (John 8:7)

“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Then He wrote in the ground. No one knows what He wrote. But, one by one, tThey dropped their stones. From the oldest to the youngest they all left. No more paparazzi, no more bloodthirsty mob, only sinners running from their own sins.

He could have judged her. He has the authority. Yet He doesn’t – not her, not me, and not you. He didn’t come to condemn the world, but came that the world – that you – would be saved through Him.

He did the opposite. He who could judge was, instead, judged in our place – the righteous for the unrighteous, the just for the sinners. For Parisher, for me, and especially for you.

“So, why watch then?” Good question. Stop. Change the channel. Go read a book. Do something else. Get your noses out of the lives of other people and tend to those in your life given you – Mom, Dad, brother, sister, wife, kids, children. Tend to their burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ (Gal 6:2).

“When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘”Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’” She said, ‘”No one, Lord.’” And Jesus said to her, ‘”Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’” ” (St. John 8:10)

The Reverend George F. Borghardt is the Assistant/Youth Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church and the Internet Services Executive for Higher Things Inc.

News

Minneapolis FOR YOU Announcements

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 17, 2007

With just ONE WEEK TO GO (!!!) before the first of the 2007 Higher Things FOR YOU Conferences, we are being swamped with a number of similar questions. This information should answer most of those questions FOR YOU. Group leaders should make sure all the adults with their group are familiar with this information before leaving for Minneapolis.

In Christ,

Sandra Ostapowich
2007 Minneapolis FOR YOU Conference Coordinator

ARRIVAL/DIRECTIONS
Upon arrival in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area, please make your way to Middlebrook Hall at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus, just east of downtown Minneapolis. The Minnesota travel information page of the conference website lists modes of transportation into and within the metro area and provides directions to campus. Many of you may want to print out the Minneapolis campus map to aid you, especially with parking below until you receive your conference workbook.

Light Rail/MetroTransit
Groups flying into the airport and taking light rail to campus can follow the instructions on the conference website. You will arrive on campus at the Wiley Hall bus stop and should proceed across the courtyard to Middlebrook Hall.

Cars
Those arriving by car should take Riverside Avenue to 22nd Avenue and approach the Middlebrook entrance on the South side. There is a drop-off zone right in front of the building for cars only.

Drivers must get a temporary parking permit from the parking attendant standing outside Middlebrook Hall so that you can park in the parking lot near the building (Lot #C-95) during registration. Your temporary permit allows you to park in this lot for up to 30 minutes. Higher Things has received permission for our guests to park in this lot during the designated registration hours on Monday and Tuesday only.

Buses
Groups arriving via bus should come up Riverside Avenue and turn north onto 21st Avenue, and then right onto 4th Street South. Turn into the parking lot on the north side of Middlebrook Hall. Leaders registering for their group should follow the sidewalk from the bus lot towards the foot-bridge to Middlebrook and around to the South side of the building to enter the registration area.

Bus drivers must get a temporary parking permit from the parking attendant standing outside Middlebrook Hall who will give instructions on where to park near Middlebrook while the group’s leaders are registering. Your permit will be good for 30 minutes and drivers should stay with the bus. Higher Things has received permission to park in this lot during the designated registration times on Monday and Tuesday only.

MAPS
Check-in registration will take place at Middlebrook Hall. Click HERE for a map showing its location and to get driving directions.

HERE is a map of the entire University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. HERE is a close-up of Middlebrook Hall on that map. Most conference attendees (about 2/3) will be housed here. The remaining 1/3 will be staying in Centennial Hall, seen HERE.

Worship at the conference will take place in Ted Mann Concert Hall, across the street from Middlebrook Hall.

Plenary sessions will be in Willey Hall, and catechesis sessions will be in Anderson Hall and Blegen Hall. And on Wednesday night, July 25, we will be taking over Coffman Memorial Union, seen HERE.

PARKING
Higher Things has reserved on-campus parking passes for those groups who have registered for them. Groups who have not registered for parking passes will need to find their own parking spaces and abide by campus parking regulations. Spaces may be available in the hourly- and daily-rate parking decks at the current rates. Campus parking is at a premium and there are limited spaces in each facility, even during the summer. The University police strictly enforce meters and parking rules.

At Registration/Check-In, there where be an area where groups who ordered them will receive a permit or keycard for your designated parking area and a map indicating its location. You are only allowed to park in the lot designated FOR YOU by your permit. If by chance your designated lot is full, please contact Parking and Transportation Services at 612-626-7275 (7am-5pm M-F) for further instruction, and let them know you are with the Higher Things conference.

CHECK-IN PROCEDURE
No more than two adults per group should go through the check-in process in Middlebrook Hall. Registration Check-In is located in Middlebrook at the eastern end of the long hallway on the south entrance (follow the signs – you won’t be able to miss it). After checking in with the Conference Registrar, you will verify your group’s housing assignment, receive parking passes and instructions. You will also be given your group’s conference handbooks, meal cards, T-shirts and any further information. Room keys will be distributed at the residence hall reception desks once you have been checked in with the Registrar.

REGISTRATION HOURS
Regular check-in hours will take place on Monday, July 23 between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. If your group (or a designated leader) cannot arrive between those hours on Monday, you will need to notify the Registrar to make arrangements for your group to check in. Regular Registration will open again on Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. Unless prior arrangements have been made, groups should not expect to check-in before 8:00 a.m.

INTERNET ACCESS
Internet access is not available on the UMN campus. There are a few spots of free public access on or near the campus, but registrants will not have internet access in their residence halls or in the computer labs.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND CHECKS OR FORMS BY MAIL – At this late date, they will not arrive in time!! Please notify the Registrar and bring them to Minneapolis with you.

WHAT TO BRING?
Appropriate clothing (please dress modestly; also, some people like to dress up for the Divine Services), light jacket or sweater, comfortable shoes for walking, catechism, Bible, notebook, pen, camera, snacks, umbrella (both locations are known to have sudden downpours in the summer), spending money.

Lodging at FOR YOU is dormitory style. Linens (sheets, blanket, pillow, towel and washcloth) are provided. Rooms are generally NOT equipped with items such as soap, shampoo, cups, blowdryers, refrigerators, phones, televisions, microwaves, alarm clocks, or hot tubs.

All meals during the conference are included in your registration fee. If you come a day early or stay a date late, two meals (supper/breakfast) on campus are included in that fee as well.

These and many other questions are answered on the FOR YOU FAQ page!

Current Events

Life as a Japanese Lutheran

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 11, 2007

by Frederick S. Durbin

Imagine that you are Japanese and a member of the Nihon Ruteru Kyoudan (NRK), the LC-MS’s partner church in Japan. Here are some ways in which your life would be different from that of a young Lutheran in the U.S.A.

First, if your parents are Christians, they were probably not born into Christian homes. Most likely, they encountered the Gospel as adults and were led by the Spirit to take those difficult steps to the baptismal font—especially difficult in a country where, for the last half-century, the Christian population has hovered around one percent of the nation’s citizens.

Or maybe you yourself, as a teenager, have first heard the Gospel at a Lutheran church-operated English conversation school. Your teacher was an American missionary; you were interested at first in hearing about American culture. Little by little, you discovered the great truth your teacher had come to Japan to share. After asking many questions, studying the Bible, praying, and talking deeply with Japanese Christians, you came to believe that Jesus died and rose for you. Then, perhaps with your parents’ blessing or maybe after many tears from both parties, you have become the first Christian in your family.

That has not been an easy decision. Your family is not just you and your parents. It includes all the generations of your ancestors, whose memory is honored with a carefully-tended Buddhist family altar in your home. Photos of your deceased grandparents occupy the central position, surrounded by candles, sticks of incense, and offerings of rice and sake. Your parents sometimes ring a bell here and kneel to pray, silently asking your ancestors for protection and guidance. If a visitor to your home brings a box of cookies or cakes, your mother places it on the altar for a day or two, allowing your ancestors to enjoy the gift first. Afterwards it will be shared among the living. You are taught that your ancestors are always watching over you.

So it has been a huge step for you to join a Christian church. Many of your loved ones believe you have turned your back on the long procession of those who gave you life; you have betrayed their traditions and beliefs. Your life has been completely changed by your study of God’s promises for you, and you daily wrestle with questions such as, “Are my dead grandparents eternally lost because they never heard and believed the Gospel?” You must discover what your faith means for you as a Japanese person, and as a member of your family.

At school or among friends, it is not easy to make casual references to the weekend event your church has planned. When other Japanese friends learn you are Christian, they may have one of the following reactions: they will consider you a disciplined and “holy” person, like a rigorously-trained Buddhist monk, entirely different from themselves; they will regard you as arrogant and proud, one who thinks yourself better than other Japanese people; or—more and more commonly in recent years—they may view you with discomfort and a trace of fear, because they associate any religious belief with fanaticism.

Of course, not everyone will react in these ways. Christian schools have been around for many decades in Japan, and they are highly respected institutions. Even if parents have no interest in Christianity, they know their children will receive a good education and a solid moral grounding at such a school. Many Japanese who become Christians later in life first heard of God’s love at a Christian elementary school or kindergarten.

If you live in Tokyo, where several NRK churches are located, you may have a commute of an hour or more by train and/or bus on Sunday morning. Some worshippers come by car, but that is more common in the countryside, where roads are less crowded and other forms of transportation are not as readily available.

Your Lutheran congregation is small: anywhere from five or six regular members to forty or fifty in a “huge” church. The sanctuary is simple; the organ is of the old-fashioned “pump” variety, powered by the organist’s feet. There is no choir, and instrumental music is rare.

“Youth groups” in typical NRK congregations are closer to singles’ groups in the United States, made up mostly of college students and twenty-something, unmarried workers. The lack of younger members is because of the smallness of the congregation and the busy lives of people in that age group. Entering a good university is tremendously important in Japan, and the exams are rigorous. High-schoolers are buried in homework, often attending cram schools Field trip to a museum about persecuted Christians at night after the full school day, and have time to relax again only after they have been accepted into college.

Your NRK church does many of the same things that its counterparts in the States do: Bible studies, cookouts, concerts, summer camps, Christmas candle services, caroling for shut-ins, and Easter sunrise services. The liturgy is the same, including confession, absolution, the Service of the Word, and the Lord’s Supper. It is done in Japanese, of course, led by a Japanese pastor who is most likely a graduate of the NRK’s seminary in Tokyo.

Japan is said to be a “tea society,” meaning that, whenever people gather, they rarely disperse without drinking tea together. Partly because of the longer commutes to urban churches and partly because people are extremely busy during the week, church is often an all-day affair on Sunday. The service itself is an hour long, perhaps preceded or followed by a Bible study. Then there may be tea, coffee, and snacks—or a potluck lunch—before an afternoon event such as an elders’ or members’ meeting, an outing (such as to view cherry blossoms in the spring), the annual church bazaar, or a general cleaning of the church, with everyone pitching in to help.

Most importantly, the Gospel you hear from the lectern and pulpit is the same as that which your fellow believers are hearing around the world. The Baptism that cleanses you is the same as the one which washes our fellow redeemed everywhere. The Holy Supper of our Lord is the same Eucharist received, whether in the U.S., Japan, or any other locale. Jesus Himself unites you with all your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Frederic Durbin is a 1988 graduate of Concordia College, River Forest, now Concordia University — Chicago. After serving as an English teacher in Niigata, Japan through the LCMS’ “Overseas Volunteer Youth Ministry,” he remained in Japan, where he continues as an English instructor at the University of Niigata. Fred is also a published author of many magazine articles, and a fantasy/horror novel, Dragonfly.

News

Congratulations Jason & Lynea!

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 11, 2007

It is with great joy that I get to inform you that Jason Sander and Lynea Theiss entered the estate of Holy Matrimony on July 7th at 4:00pm during the Office of Vespers celebrating at St. Mark Lutheran Church in beautiful Conroe, TX. Lynea helps out with Internet Services and keeps the bytes moving by helping with content and other various tasks. Jason is one of Pastor Borghardt’s youth group assistants, and an all around stand-up guy. These two love-birds are rumored to have met at a Higher Things related workshop up in Texas. Be sure to extend your own greetings to this lovely couple this summer at “For You” in North Carolina.

Congratulations to Jason and Lynea Sander from all of us at Higher Things!

Pop. Culture & the Arts

Higher Movies: Dare to Be Different: Nancy Drew

Post author By Higher Things
Post date July 10, 2007

by The Rev. David C. Mumme

Of all the movies I never thought I would actually go to the theater to see, Nancy Drew has to be at the top of the list. Nancy Drew, after all, is for girls. Now if it were Nancy Drew Meets the Hardy Boys, well then maybe. But I have ten- and eleven- year- old daughters who have read lots of Nancy Drew books, so attend I did. And I actually liked it. (but pPlease don’t tell any of my friends!).

The movie begins with Nancy (played by Emma Roberts, niece of Julia) moving from the quaint little town of River Heights, California to La La Land, California ((Hollywood), because of her father’s job. She promises to stop her sleuthing, but chooses a house which comes pre-loaded with a mystery. Dehlia Draycott, a fictional movie star of the ’70s and ’80s, was murdered there some 25 years earlier. So Nancy, of course, is on the case.

The thing that makes the movie interesting is that Nancy is utterly unlike all of the other kids in La La Land. They are all about looking good, being popular, and having a good time. Nancy is all about doing good, helping others, and using her brain – but not in a self-righteous, full-of-herself way. She is smart, modest, and confident without being arrogant or annoying.

My daughters really liked the movie. They thought that it was funny, at times a little frightening (which is good for a mystery), and pretty true to the character of Nancy Drew in the books (which I have not NOT read). I liked the fact that it portrayed a likeable teenager who was different (in a good way), and who was ok with that. My children are also are different than from many of their friends and peers because they are Christians who and want to live their lives by faith in Christ and with love for their neighbors. They are also home-schooled and their dad is a pastor. How different can you get!? My hope is that Nancy Drew will remind them that it’s ok to be different (in a good way), and that at least some of their non-Christian friends and peers are just waiting for a good example to follow.

Christians, of course, are different in a good way. Not by nature, but by grace. Baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are a new creation. That means that we try to think, speak, and act differently. We seek to live by the Word of God: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Php 4:8); “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29); and “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

Being baptized into Christ also means that we value and treasure different things than the world values and treasures. After the movie, my daughter commented about Nancy that, “No one is that kind and nice all of the time.” We know that to be true not only from personal experience, but from the Word of God. And bBecause we have been given to know that, what we value and treasure above all else is the forgiveness of sins which Christ earned for us by life, death, and resurrection, and the means of grace (– Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, Holy Communion, and the preaching of the Holy Gospel) – which deliver that forgiveness to us. Being baptized into Christ means that we value and treasure different things than the world values and treasures. Early on in the movie, Nancy says responds to those who are making fun of her, “I like old-fashioned things.” In a culture that considers Christianity old-fashioned, we would have to agree!

Christians, of course, are different in a good way. Not by nature or by our efforts, but by grace. Baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are created anew. That means that we think, speak, and act differently from others. We live by the Word of God which tells us (among other things): “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things,” (Php. 4:8); “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear,” (Eph. 4:29); and “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” (1 Cor. 10:31).

The movie is rated PG for mild violence and a few objectionable words. Overall, it is a very clean movie, and it even deals with the topic of dating in a responsible way. I would guess that it will be most popular with junior high kids like my own. But then again I liked it, and I’m no longer in junior high!

The Rev. David Mumme is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Waterville, Minnesota. He is a 1994 graduate of Concordia University–River Forest (now Chicago) and a 1998 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne. Pastor Mumme and his wife Glenda homeschool their five “different-for-the-sake-of-the-Gospel” children.