Those who sit in the pews during church services seem to have an easy job. They show up, listen while the pastor does all the grunt work and afterwards they might enjoy a snack and connect with some community members.  Attending church is not a show, it’s a chance to challenge and fully engage with your faith, to ensure that our trusted leaders are doing their jobs correctly.   As Martin Luther preached “A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it."

​If I’m a Lutheran, why can’t I take communion at all Lutheran Churches?
 
Communion is designed by God to be taken with one’s chosen church community. The Bible explains a group expresses a oneness when it communes together just like there is one loaf.  Individuals are to learn the Bible and check out whom they commune with and not all Lutheran churches are the same.  

At what age should someone start taking communion?
 
There is not a definite Biblical age where communion should be taken. Different churches decide different processes one must go through in order to take communion, but there is no solid answer.  Biblically, one must be able to understand what communion is as they take it.  Pastor Steinberg told us a story about a man living with dementia who could not understand the communion process sometimes while other times he could. This man was only given communion during the periods where he could fully understand why he was taking communion. 

Can I give my child more than two godparents?
 
Absolutely, godparents are not mentioned in the Bible once.  The origins of godparents stems back to early Christianity when persecution was common, and followers of Christ had to keep their church services secret.  When a new member wished to join they would not be taken to the secret church service location right away.  Instead, a “godparent” would tutor the hopeful member on scripture for a number of months until that new person could be trusted.  Once the new member was deemed trustworthy, their tutor would vouch for them in front of their church as the new member's godparent.  Because godparents are more or less a nice tradition now, it's okay to create your own guidelines for choosing the godparents of your child, weather that be 4 godmothers and no godfathers or simply one godfather, it’s completely up to you.  Pastor Steinberg did note that godparents are not legally recognized, for this reason he highly recommends making a will to make sure that your children are left in good hands in the event of your passing.

​Group Night is held at New Beginnings.  Every Thursday, we meet as a group to discuss important life skills and educational topics.  Discussions are led by community volunteers and can cover a broad range of topics.

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​Doctor of Chiropractic, Camille Berger, visited New Beginnings to discuss the benefits of visiting a chiropractor and the overall importance of proper spinal care.  Chiropractic care allows your body to function as God intended, for you to live a life free of pain in order to maximize your full potential.  

​The spine is the controller of the entire body as it is the first system to receive signals from the brain on how to operate.  Receiving chiropractic care can lead to all-over bodily benefits like increased fertility, arthritis relief, and improved sleep, so seeing a chiropractor is not limited to those with ailments of the spine.

​This week for group night we welcomed Chris, an RN who is also a licensed nutritionist. She showed us the importance of paying attention to what we eat. It is possible to be at the right weight without medications and just by eating a healthy, balanced diet. At fifty-six, Chris is the same weight as she was when she was thirty-six and had her last child. Your body is a gift from God and we must be good stewards for the gifts he has given us. 

Nutrition is important because we need to have energy to do daily tasks. We need to maintain a healthy body weight and it also lowers the risk of health problems such as heart disease. A few easy things to start doing are to watch portion sizes and eats lots of foods that are dark green, red, and orange. Look on the packaging before eating any food because portion sizes are often smaller than they seem. 

What is exactly is stress? Stress is a chemical reaction in response to a negative reaction. It’s your body telling you that it doesn’t want to get hurt. This isn’t always bad; it helps keep you safe. However, too much stress can get you stuck in a negative state of being. When people are over-stressed, they typically worry too much about silly things or become desensitized to problem areas in their lives.

What are symptoms of being too stressed?
Stress has many symptoms and here are a few: increased heart rate, feeling lousy, feeling overwhelmed, forgetting things, loss of focus, and high blood pressure. Being stressed is much worse for pregnant mothers because the baby feels everything that his or her mother feels.

How do I deal with stress?
A big part of dealing with stress is recognizing it so you can plan for before, during, and after the fact. Many people only recognize what stress made them do after-the-fact. When you feel like you’re overstressed, give yourself a moment. Realize you’re having a rough time and get a fresh start. There are many simple ways to help relieve stress: write in journals, take a walk, bathe, color, listen or sing to music, pamper yourself, use a stress ball or something similar, read, take a nap, make lists, or exercise. Be proactive. When you’re really engaged it’s hard to think about all the extra stuff. Crying may not be a bad thing because it makes you feel better afterwards. It’s easier to spiral than to stay at a bottom. Everybody’s life is different. Everything has different meanings to different people. Hold yourself accountable by doing activities with others, such as working out. Get to a place where you can even compromise. Somethings will come with time. Take care of yourself.

Mind full vs. Mindful
Mindfulness is doing actions with purpose. Your mind is sometimes so cluttered that you don’t realize what you’re doing and live life on autopilot. You’re too busy thinking about the next thing that you neglect what you’re doing in the now. Focus on your breathing two minutes a day. Clear your mind. Learn awareness, self-acceptance, and letting things go. Set apps with reminders to force you to pause throughout the day. Close your eyes and take very deep breaths. Be aware of the noises around you. Open your eyes and say five things you can see, five you can hear, five you can touch, and try to find five things to taste and smell.  Be at peace. Accept things the way they are.

How to prevent stress
Find things that are important to you and make time. Say no to a new responsibility when you need to. Make sure to make yourself laugh every once in a while. Seek out that person who always puts a smile on your face or re-watch your favorite comedy. Intentionally build things into your day to brighten it up. Make your own day. Take long breaths—quickly count 1,2,3,4. Be aware of the right now and intentionally focus on what’s around you. If you need further help with your stress, many hospitals offer courses. A stress-free you is the best you!

This week for group night we welcomed Karie Gerke. She is a licensed physical therapist who is certified in infant massage. We had an awesome time with her as she showed us how mothers can bond with their little ones as young as one month old. Since we have no babies with us at this time, we used dolls that she brought with her. Shawna got to use “Miranda,” a very lifelike doll.

​The most important rule to follow when starting massages with a baby is to get his or her permission. Obviously young infants cannot yet speak but there are several physical cues to look for. These include giving nice eye contact, a smile, or simply a certain way that he or she turns their head. To turn massages or anything else into a routine, words and actions help the baby understand what is going to happen next. The baby should be in his or her alert stage but also calm. The massager should also be in a calm state and be ready to take her time. Babies can be massaged on a wide variety of surfaces, such as the floor, a table, a lap, or against a shoulder. Younger babies tend to feel more secure on the lap.

Even though it is an optional activity for caregivers to participate with their babies, infant massage has a wide range of benefits. Infants take a while to gain sensory awareness. With the help of massages, they gain a greater understanding of where their body parts are and how to use them. It sometimes takes a little bit of time for some babies to know they have feet! Massages can reduce stress and anxiety for the babies. It also helps to relieve tense muscles, especially if a baby spends a lot of time in one place such as a carrier or bouncy seat. The more a mother is in tune with her baby, the better she can determine if her baby is sick or has another ailment. Tummy strokes specifically help digestion for a fussy baby. Lastly, massages create a special bond between the mother and the baby. They are an excellent way for some one-on-one time and a fun activity.

​We were once again able to meet with Pastor Shevey, this time to discuss the necessity of baptism in general, and infant baptism in particular. Pastor Shevey guided us through a definition of what baptism is, how it helps us, and why God commands it. 

Our Sinful Nature
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Just as Christ’s forgiveness extends to all people, all people have sinful natures because of original sin. Every single human that has ever existed needs forgiveness through a Savior. If infant baptism is rejected, then the idea that all people inherit sin as part of their human nature must be rejected as well. If there is no sin, there is nothing to forgive, and thus no need for a Savior. Disregarding the need for infant baptism isn’t just disagreeing on when a person should be dedicated to Christ; it challenges the very core of our faith.

Last Thursday we had the chance to sit down with LeKecia Lovett of Encompass Solutions to learn about how to increase our chances of getting a job by creating resumes that will catch an employer’s eye, along with how to interview like a professional. The following tips apply to any job in any field, and cover a variety of fields, so there is something for everyone to learn. 

Interviewing Like a Pro
There are seven steps to planning an interview. They are:

1. Researching the organization to show your interest and stand out from other candidates.
2. Compare your skills and qualifications to the job requirements.
3. Prepare responses to standard interview questions.
4. Wear neutrally-colored, formal, and neat clothes that are professional.
5. Bring your resume, a notepad, list of references, and any information needed to complete an application.
6. Pay attention to non-verbal communication.
7. Follow up with questions for the interviewer about the company, and a thank-you. 

​On April 6th, we were treated to a highly informative presentation about child nutrition by Jenny Luedke, a senior nursing major at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Jenny, who is a mother herself, walked us through the basics of child nutrition from birth to five years. Everyone learned something new, and Jenny received plenty of questions. 

​Toddler Nutrition: Twelve Months to Five Years

​Once a child is a year old, he or she is ready for cow’s milk. For the first two years of life, children should drink whole milk; however, low-fat milk is also acceptable once the child is past two years of age. Some foods to avoid during this stage are strawberries and honey, because children can choke on the strawberry seeds and honey has botulinum spores that make children sick. 

​On March 23rd, we were able to have a bible study with Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Pastor Wayne Shevy, who works in the campus ministry office. Together, we studied Isaiah 46:7, which reads “They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.” Considering the subject matter, one of our most important topics of discussion was all the things that can be idols in our life, whether clothes, food, money, fame, or earthly relationships, just to name a few. 

The 6 D’s of Temptation
We also learned about the 6 D’s of temptation: ways idols can creep into our lives. Whether through disguise, doubt, disagreement, deceit, desire, or destruction. Temptation can have harmful, even devastating, effects on our lives. Worse, there are many times where sin does not even look all that bad at first. However, the worst fact about idols is that when we fall prey to them, we risk our soul for something that can’t even help us when things really go wrong. 

​The most important thing we learned, however, was that God is far better than any idol, and He can deliver us from temptation to worship them. God can rescue us from the slavery sin brings, which one of the most important things to remember about our relationship with Him.