The purpose of the event is to encourage, support, and equip recent church worker gradu-ates to establish a strong foundation in servant leadership. Here are some more specifics:

• Event name: KINDLE for Recent Graduates
• Dates: September 27-30, 2010
• Location: University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois
• Cost: $300.00

If you’re interested, you can download the application as a Microsoft Word Document or PDF.

• Sept. 27-30, 2010
• January 31-February 3, 2011
• August 15-18, 2011

Remember to stop by the application page for more details and to get signed up.

There once was a Kingdom of Islands.  There were many islands scattered throughout the wide sea and there were many people on the islands, but there was only one king.

The king lived on a particularly beautiful island, an island that was a delight to the people who lived there.  In the middle of the island there were tall mountains with trickling streams, groves of tall, cool trees, rushing waterfalls, and birds and creatures in abundance.  Below the mountains were broad rivers, tilled fields, and ancient orchards all bursting with the gifts of the land.  And beyond the fields were wide and peaceful bays, white sand beaches, and gentle ocean breezes.

Now, not everything on this main island was idyllic.  There were sometimes storms and shoals and struggles and work, but the people knew that the beauty and bounty of their island flowed from the presence of the king.  So they were content.

In fact, the people loved their king.  He was good and gracious and he lived and moved among them.  The king also loved his people and worked hard to ensure that the island was a place of plenty that nourished their hearts.  The people, in turn, praised the king for his great goodness, singing songs for him, writing poems and stories in his honor, holding parades and parties in his name, and acknowledging him with gifts of thanks whenever they saw him.  They even named themselves The People of the King.

Although the king was touched and honored by the love of his people, he was still greatly troubled.  For this was only one island in the Kingdom of Islands, and on many of the far flung islands in the ocean reaches, the people did not remember the king.  The king felt immense sorrow for the people of the far islands who struggled through life without the bounty and gifts his kingship could provide.  And so the king determined that he must reach the people of the far islands.

The king had a son, the prince, who was also greatly loved by the people.  The king told the prince that they must find a way to tell the people of the far islands that they, too, were the People of the King.

Now both the king and his son were master ship builders.  The prince replied to his father, “I will teach the people to build swift and beautiful ships that will sail through the farthest oceans with the news of our king.”  And so the prince left the home of his father and went to live in a humble home near the harbor in order to be with the people.

The people saw that the prince was living near the harbor and came to see him.  They marveled at his presence and came to listen to his announcements.  “My father, the king, wants all the people of all the islands to know that they are like you, that they are all part of the People of the King.  If you will listen to me and follow me, I will show you how to do my father’s bidding and reach the people of the far islands.  I will teach you how to build and sail great ships.”  The people were intrigued and began to watch the prince, curious to see what he would teach them.

The prince was a master craftsman and a teacher of great integrity.  He patiently began to build the greatest ship the kingdom had ever known.  The prince called helpers to be near him, assisting in the building of the ship.  The people watched and listened.

The prince consulted daily with his father, the king, and used his father’s words and plans as his guide.  “My son”, said the king, “you must pay special attention to the hull and the rudder and the keel, for a great ocean voyage will only be possible if your ship is balanced below the water.  The hull must support the tall masts and sails needed to reach the far islands, and if it is too shallow or weak you will not survive the storms that will come.”

Heeding the words of his father, the prince began his great ship, crafting the hull to cut through the waters of the seas.  He selected only the best building materials, choosing them with great care.  The sturdiest trees were brought from the mountains and the purest metals were gleaned from the earth.  Daily he consulted the plans the king had given him, making sure that he did not stray from their guidance.  And though the prince had helpers who were sawing and fitting and gluing and clamping, and though he was the royal son of the king, he took his turn alongside his helpers to do the work himself, setting the example as they built the ship together.

The prince recognized the job his father had called him to, and he stuck to it unswervingly.  But the prince was also wise and knew that building a great ship could only be accomplished over time and that every worker needs rest and refreshment.  So the prince took time to take his helpers aside from the ship and to eat and to laugh and to play together.  They would take a day each week to relax and to sing the songs of the king, enjoying each others’ company and the sweet music they made together.  And when a time of rest was ended they began to build again, more ready than ever before, a stronger team than before.

The prince himself took time away from his ship and his helpers to be renewed as well.  He regularly went to his father’s house to speak to the king and listen to his wisdom.  He absorbed the king’s plans and ideas, making them a deep part of himself, and led his life according to those plans.  And the prince took time to tell all the People of the King more about the king, so that they, too, could know his plans and absorb them into their own lives.  And as he went from the harbor to his father’s house and back to the harbor, the prince had a merry heart and a willing hand.  He took time to help the people move their crops or tune their instruments or care for their children.  In his willingness to help them, he demonstrated the king’s love for the people.

The prince took great care to guide his helpers every day as they worked together on the ship.  “We must keep our minds focused on the king’s desire to reach all the people of the far islands, and to follow his plans in building this beautiful ship,” he told them.  When the prince described a sailing journey, the helpers could imagine themselves at the helm of a ship, cresting the waves with the spray in their faces, defying the odds and reaching the far shores.  Believing this possible for themselves, they worked well together to create the great ship, content to be with the prince and each other, working as friends to reach the king’s goal.

Now, not everything was perfect.  Occasionally a disagreement broke out among the helpers.  One was using another’s tools.  Another wanted to be foreman above the rest.  Someone else felt that his ideas on shipbuilding were being ignored.  And sometimes personalities just pounded at each other like surf upon the rocky shores.  But the prince taught the helpers to speak lovingly to each other, heal their relationships, and build together once more.

As the prince and his helpers grew in knowledge and experience in shipbuilding, the prince began to speak to them more about the next steps.  “I must rely on you to teach the People of the King how to build and sail ships.  I cannot ask them to go where I have not sailed, so I will sail before them.  I have taught you how to build and will teach you how to sail, so that when I am gone, you can teach the people to sail and serve the king.  You will have my tools and my plans, and you will have each other to give you courage and great heart.  You know the king’s vision, that we reach the people of the far islands, and it will be your quest too.  I know that you can sail to the far islands and bring the People of the King along with you.”

As the body of the ship was nearly done, the prince spoke to his helpers and said, “I have begun the great ship with the keel and the rudder as my father asked, for without the rudder a ship cannot be directed and without a seaworthy hull, it cannot sail.  And it would be foolish to try to build a ship from the mast down!  But the hull alone is not an oceangoing vessel.  The masts, the sails and the rigging are required for a sailing ship to cross the deep waters.  If you build a truly sound hull, however, your heart will not be content to stop there, for every ship builder desires to see the ship glide through the waves.  You will yearn to add the sails and reach the far islands.”

So with the hull in place, the prince showed the people how to build the deck and masts and sails.  The masts were made from the tallest and strongest trees on the mountains.  The sails were sewn from the finest silk. The figurehead was a symbol of the king, created by the island’s finest artisans.  The prince said to his helpers, “As long as the ship is balanced, the masts and sails can be tall and full.  With a tall ship, you can reach the whole world.”

At long last the prince’s boat appeared to be finished, and the People of the King were ready to cheer.  But the prince held up his hands for quiet.  “Building the ship so that it looks beautiful is not enough.  A beautiful ship that cannot sail cannot serve the king.  To know without doubt that our ship can sail, we must take it on the seas.  We must face the storms and the doldrums.  We must test the waters and we must work together as a crew.  For I cannot teach sailing in the harbor or on the shore, but only in the oceans where we face both the joys and the struggles of reaching the far islands.”

The People of the King gathered at the harbor, laughing, singing, and waving garlands as the great ship was pushed into the sea.  As the prince and his helpers raised the main sail, a tremendous cheer went up from the people.  When the ship left the harbor, the prince began to impart to the helpers his knowledge of the sea.

The prince’s helpers learned to master the winds in the sails, face the high waves, and survive the storms.  They followed the prince’s example as he showed them how to pilot the ship by his father’s charts.  And they taught each other the new things they were learning, laughing and encouraging each other as they accomplished new tasks. The prince taught them to take turns at all aspects of sailing the ship, from taking the helm to mending the lines, from hoisting the sails to working the galley.  As a good captain, he joyfully and willingly served in any capacity that empowered the ship and its crew to reach its goal.

As the prince’s helpers became excellent sailors, the prince had a word of caution and encouragement for them.  “Do not become complacent with your sailing skills.  If you want to become accomplished captains, you must continue to learn and to improve your skills.  Set a task for yourself that you can strive to achieve, and when you excel at that, set a new goal for yourself.”

“It is not enough to want to sail or to want to reach the people of the far islands”, said the prince.  “In order to accomplish that, the People of the King need more.  First you must have the desire in your mind to do what must be done, second you must have the knowledge of how the job is done, and third you must practice and do it.  So if I give you plans for a great ship, first you must desire to understand the plans, second, you must know how to use the plans, and third you must use the plans to build a ship.  To reach the far islands, you must want to sail, know how to sail, and then move your ship away from the shallow coastal waters and sail.”

And so the years went by as the prince and his helpers built the ship and practiced sailing.  Finally the prince’s great and beautiful ship was ready for its true purpose and voyage.  The People of the King had never seen such a ship before.  It was perfect in proportion, a delight to the eyes, responsive to touch, and a joy to sail.  It would serve the king well.  The prince called the people together to speak and to bid them farewell.

“One ship can show you how to build and sail, but one ship alone will not reach all the far flung islands.  In order to serve the king, the People of the King must also build their own ships and sail to distant shores to the people of the far islands.  For the king has asked this of his people, that you follow me.  So I will set sail to the far islands, but I leave some gifts behind for you.  You have with you my helpers who have been by my side during these years of building and testing.  You have each other to encourage your building and your sailing.  And you have my father’s plans and my words.  Follow my example, learn from my helpers, and you will be able to build and sail as I do.”

And so the prince, the son of the king, sailed off to seek the far islands.  And the People of the King began to build their ships.

Each new ship was unique, reflecting the gifts and character of its builder-captain.  Some of the new ships were very similar to the prince’s ship and sailed well, although none were quite as beautiful or as perfect as his.  But some were not like the prince’s ship.

Some of the ships had high masts and full sails that thrilled the people with their beauty, but they had weak hulls below the water.  Those ships appeared very showy but they could not weather a storm or cross the wide oceans.

Other vessels were not ships but small boats, for though they appeared similar to the prince’s great ship, they were not on the same scale and could not make the same journey.  These small boats stayed near the shores of the main island and never ventured into deeper waters.

Some ships started out in great shape, but as the captains began to believe that they knew everything about sailing, they forgot some of the prince’s words.  Some of those captains neglected the hull, keel and rudder.  Their ships sprang leaks, got covered with barnacles or began to rot.  Their ships were no longer seaworthy.

Some captains believed that they had to control their ships without help and would not allow the crews to do their jobs.  These ships seemed adequate, even seaworthy, for a time, but they frequently sank in storms or squalls when the captain was incapable of sailing alone.

But those captains who heeded the prince’s words, balanced the ship above and below the water, maintained the hull, sails, masts and rigging, and trained their crews were able to fly across the seas in their swift ships.  They taught others to build ships and to sail.  They reached the far islands, spreading the news that those people, too, were People of the King.  The people that they reached and the people that they trained also became ship builders and sailors.  Their children and their grandchildren learned to build and to sail as well, so that they might all serve the king and reach the people of the far islands.

And the People of the King are sailing still.

Present your life as a living sacrifice, responding in graciousness and hospitality, serving others as Jesus served.

Scripture: “Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men order their people around, and yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’  But among you, those who are the greatest should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” (Luke 22:25-26)

For Reflection:

1. Do my attitudes, actions and activities display a servant heart in ministry that is obvious and visible?
2. Are those I serve better able to serve those around them because of my care and support?
3. Is there some one especially in need of my servant ministry at this time in their life?

For further action:

• Interview someone whose servant minstry life style  you admire. Try to learn about their journey as a servant leader.

Worship for the KINDLE community is enlivening even as it is calming. It is that special opportunity for the Training Team and Associates to hear from God Himself directly through Word and Sacrament.  It is also THE opportunity for KINDLE’s gathered community of servant leaders to respond back to God with His very Word.

And because it is enlivening, yet calming, the KINDLE community pours itself wholly into the three daily devotional periods.  With every event, God brings us His joy and peace through Jesus Christ as we worship together in the beautiful chapel at the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL.

Worship, of course, is much more than a way to please God.  Worship, as the Scripture suggests, are those moments when God makes His presence known and those worshipping are able to spend intimate time paying attention to who He is, what He does and the blessings He gives.  KINDLE Associates typically have unique responsibilities on weekends in their home congregations.  As a result, one is often not able to focus fully on the presence of God.  Worship at a KINDLE Learning Event is freeing because it comes as a wonderful, non-responsibility time with as few distractions as possible.

One planning challenge is how to best serve a variety of worshippers, who love a variety of worship styles, with appropriate worship experiences.  KINDLE Learning Events give Associates an opportunity to truly benefit from the richness of a variety of styles, not making any judgments, but opening themselves up to how the beauty of each setting guides them into God’s presence.

The liturgies of Morning and Evening Prayer allow all to hear God speak, converse with each other and, in prayer, converse with God.  The “tradition” of Holden Evening Prayer on Tuesday night allows all gathered to sing His Words.  The Eucharist, as administered faithfully by pastors who have served us over the years, gives us the direct physical connection to our Savior through His Body and Blood in, with and under the bread and wine so that we might together know His love and forgiveness in our lives.  And the variety and power of the music impacts the spirits of all those who participate.  There is no “right” style used – just the best of music played and sung to the glory of God.

Finally, it is important to note that worship for KINDLE is all about stewardship – taking care of one’s faith as one worships.  Just as one takes care of his or her body and mind, one can also be in a position to be cared for in worship.  God does this work of giving Associates faith and growing it stronger, as well as helping them live their lives, and seizing opportunities to point others to Him.

How will it be present?

1. The most impactful way is through you.  You continue to be the face and the story of what KINDLE is and does. Thank-you for speaking a good word about your experience as a KINDLE Associate.
2. Then there will be a splendid sectional entitled:  ”A Taste of KINDLE” led by Sue Steege.  She will be at her best, which is very, very good as you know.
3. On Friday night at the banquet, KINDLE will be presented its $246,000 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grant. Karp and Sue will represent all of us.
4. Plus, there will be a KINDLE blurb in the conference program booklet.
5. Finally, there will be a KINDLE table in the exhibit area.  Drop by and greet Diane Schuessler, KINDLE’s operations coordinator. better yet, volunteer to work the table with her for an hour or so! Plus, pick up a KINDLE pen and post it notepad… there might even be a little snack for you.

May God’s angels keep you safe as you make your way to Dallas.  See you there!

Pray continually alone and with others.

Scripture: “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!” -Psalm 66:19

Quote: “There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying.” – John G. Lake

For Reflection:

1. Do my actions and activities say that I “know about God” or “know God”?
2. How might I increase my conversation with God today?

Resources:

• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero
• Interview someone whose prayer life you admire. Ask them about their prayer practice and attitude.

Some highlights included:

• The largest class, yet with four learning clusters (and 20 Associates)
• Back into parish life to begin the journey with Lay Associate Clusters.
• A real sense  of togetherness-the “Snow Mobile group”