I knew there was a chance we'd be a little late. But twenty minutes - that was a little embarrassing!

It was Friday night. I had left my newly-adopted home of Everett, Washington to drive north to Bellingham to pick up my daughter Rachel, so we could turn around and drive south to Seattle for the District Dessert Night at Rock of Ages Lutheran Brethren Church. We were both looking forward to attending this event together even if it meant walking in a few minutes late together!

I thought driving from Everett to Bellingham would be similar to the trip I had often made from Fergus Falls, Minnesota to Fargo, North Dakota - about an hour in length, depending on how slippery the roads might be in January. Hmmm. Not quite the same, I found out. I had to go through Everett rush-hour traffic first before heading north, and hadn't counted on most of the highway speed limits being sixty mph rather than the Minnesota limits of seventy.

Oops.

Nevertheless, the drive was beautiful, with the snow-covered peaks of the Cascade mountain range to the east reflecting back the rays of the setting sun in the west. My eyes kept straying to the northern horizon as the often cloud-shrouded heights of Mt. Baker kept looming large and white, first seeming to appear between city buildings, next peeking through the trees as I sped northward. I was totally amazed that I was really here in the Pacific Northwest! God's handiwork was so evident!

Rachel ended work at 5:30 and Dessert Night would begin at 7:00 pm. Theoretically, we could make it. Realistically, I felt like I was driving in a video game: blackness surrounding our car, headlight beams punctuating the space on both sides, red brake lights acting like strobe lights ahead as we went bobbing and weaving our way through the huge forested hills that hugged Bellingham Bay, up onto the plain between the Cascades and Puget Sound, and finally climbing the steep streets of Seattle.

We found an amazing spot in Rock of Ages' parking lot and were met by a nice gentleman who encouraged us to slip right in - "You're OK - the speaker just started!" I was so glad there were spots at a back corner table, where we were greeted with smiles and nods, not glares and frowns at our tardiness.

The speaker, Heather Emerson from Grace Beyond Reason Ministries, was quoting from Oswald Chambers' book, My Utmost for His Highest, as she described a major turning point in her life. A native of Australia, God moved her and her husband to a new continent, and later, to a new church, where the age of most of the congregation was closer to her children's age than to her own. She found herself thrust into the position of being a mentor, as she followed the path to which God called her - "more on fire, going higher," rather than the slow, lazy, and more useless life (though more comfortable!) that many of us gravitate toward as we get older.

Heather led us into the Scriptures to show us a mentoring relationship: Elizabeth and Mary. What can we learn from them? Both Zachariah and Elizabeth had absolutely given their best for God - "upright in the sight of God," a praying couple. "Your prayers have been heard," the angel had told Zachariah. Months later, after her own angelic visit, Mary was drawn to her older relative to share her amazing news with a kindred spirit.

Mentorship does not mean imposing one's thoughts, agenda, or superiority on another. We were encouraged to emulate Elizabeth's example. She was reverent, "real," relevant, and relational. We all live in different scenarios, but we're being watched. Do we live for God's glory all week long, or only on Sunday? Are we genuine? Would someone "get ready and hurry" to spend time with us, confident that we wouldn't blog or facebook their secrets? Are we interested more in truth than in trends? Though different in age and marital status, these two women found themselves inextricably bound together. Elizabeth didn't greet Mary by telling her own miraculous story - she focused on her younger relative. Mary, in turn, was "bursting with God-news" (The Message), and the relationship was a blessing to both.

Heather asked the question of herself, "Would God have prompted Mary to run to you, Heather?" She challenged us to think about whether we are real or wear a mask; whether our lives are lived in a holy huddle, or in relevance; if we display a demeanor of love, joy, and patience so that others can detect in us the sweet aroma of Christ.

I enjoyed the sweet fellowship of the various generations of women who gathered that evening. Ranging from early twenties on upward, we all enjoyed the sweet desserts prepared, and the rich conversations that began around the tables, and continued as women mingled far into the night.

As I drove down into the darkness, my mind ruminated, returning home. I had driven around ninety miles from Bellingham to Seattle - Mary walked about the same distance from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea. Were the stars her strobe lights as her mind whirled, trying to adjust to her life changes? What went through her mind as she returned home? God had drawn her and Elizabeth together, creating a "bond to braid their lives together."

Let us eagerly seek the relationships God is already preparing for our lives this year!

Cheryl Olsen is secretary of Women's Ministries of the CLB (www.wmclb.com).

WMCLB Annual Convention

Saturday, June 19, 2010
Bethel LB Church, Fergus Falls, MN

Inside Out - Living out the Life of Christ within

Presenter:
Carol Anderson
"Connection for Women" Ministry, Mt. Bethel, PA

www.wmclb.com

By Cheryl Olsen

Cheryl Olsen (pictured with her husband Stan) serves as the secretary of Women's Ministries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. (www.wmclb.com)

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