SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

first christian church

“Live Out Loud,” a Lent booklet, devotes 40 days to spiritual growth with Christ as the model.

By LINDA M. LINONIS VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR

GIRARD — Pastor Ron Maurer developed a Lent devotional booklet to help his congregation “examine and reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and love.”

It’s filled with appropriate Scripture and prose pertinent to the season. Preachy it’s not; engaging and personal it is.

The theme, “Live Out Loud,” might make one think of a self-help book on building self-esteem. And in a spiritual way that’s the focus — how Christians can make a difference in how they live and what they do ... modeling themselves after the qualities exemplified by Jesus Christ.

The pastor of First Christian Church of Girard, a Disciples of Christ congregation, 140 E. Broadway Ave., credited his son, who is in ministry at a very large church, with the idea for the booklet. “Size shouldn’t matter,” Pastor Maurer said, so he decided to try it.

“Live Out Loud” is his second effort; last year he compiled “No Turning Back.” Both focus on building a legacy of Christian faith through “40 days devoted to spiritual growth.”

The Lenten devotional booklet takes congregants through the 40 days of Lent. “This is an older congregation that appreciates the devotional concept,” Pastor Maurer said. “It focuses on the inward ... examination of self for renewal and reflection.” The pastor said the congregation, about 65 attend on Sundays, ranges in age from 40s to 80s and has many retirees.

Pastor Maurer said he was inspired by the idea that “faith needs to be seen” and Christians can use Christ as their model when it comes to being loving, kind and humble.

Pastor Maurer said the devotional booklet helps people travel from one point to another in a spiritual journey and awakening.

“The first six days are examples of people who ‘lived out loud’ when God called them,” he said. Stories of Esther, David, Abraham, Noah, Gideon and Paul the Apostle are featured.

From the seventh to 14th days, Pastor Maurer said he settled on one-word themes about “what we need to practice to effectively live out loud.” Themes are preparation, discipleship, prayer, restraint, fasting, stewardship, worship and authenticity.

The 15th to 20th days focus on “what it takes to model ourselves after Christ,” Pastor Maurer said. These qualities include forgiveness, love, generosity, compassion, teamwork and boldness.

“Discerning and using what is at our disposal to equip and direct us” is how Pastor Maurer described the 21st-27th days. The devotions focus on wisdom, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, our helper (Holy Spirit) and personal witness.

Pastor Maurer said the 28th to 34th days concentrate on “what we can do to make a difference in the world around us.” The devotionals address being a personal witness, gifts and talents to serve God and community, humility, local mission of serving your neighborhood, serving in short- and long-term missions away from home and supporting missionaries.

Heading toward the conclusion of Lent, Pastor Mauer discusses the cost of commitment and what it takes to succeed. This revolves around keeping your eye on the prize, compassion, sacrifice, perseverance, conditioning and reaching the goal.

Pastor Maurer said in years past the church has bought Lenten devotionals but their “generic” approach didn’t garner much interest. He said making the devotional booklets “more personable.”

One way he has accomplished that is by a prayer focus for the day and they include Rescue Mission of the Valley, Emmanuel Community Care Center, Warren Family Mission, Bethany Christian College, Protestant Family Services, unemployed people and their families, a person who has received heart and lung transplants, regional ministry staff, leadership of the church, foreign missions, U.S. service personnel and Girard Manor. “Focusing on local needs fosters community involvement,” he said.

The devotional booklet also engages participants with a journal aspect. As they respond to a question that relates to the theme of that day such as compassion or one’s talents, they are asked to put their thoughts to paper.

Overall, Pastor Maurer said the booklets, which are tangible, help church members go through Lent, a time of renewal and reflection, leading up to Easter. He said about half the congregation has signed up for the books, which will be distributed Sunday.

Pastor Maurer said it took him about two months to assemble the information for the booklet.

The church secretary-treasurer, Diane Whitacre, copied and compiled the number of booklets requested.

And he’s already thinking about next year, as he’s come across information he wants to use, but it didn’t fit in this year. Next year he plans the theme, “Living from the Inside Out,” to focus on the life of Jesus.

Pastor Maurer said he planned a Maundy Thursday service at 7 p.m. April 1 with a tenebrae approach with candles and a meditative tone. Easter Sunday, April 4, there will be a service at 9 a.m. with a continental breakfast after. A short concert by Joe Yaksich, choir director, will be at 10:15 followed by worship.