Enjoying an Iftar with people from Chain of Lakes Church

Last night thirteen people from Chain of Lakes, including myself, participating in a Ramdan Iftar dinner at the MAS Blaine Masjid or what I have called the Blaine Islamic Center.  This was an event coordinated by the Minnesota Council of Churches. Last night in twenty-two places across Minnesota a “Taking Heart Ramadan Iftar dinner” took place.

An Iftar is the daily, fast-breaking meal of Muslims in Ramadan.  Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and a holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal. Islamic tradition shares that during one of the last ten nights of Ramadan God revealed to the prophet Muhammad the Quran, Islam’s holy book.

This past January I shared a sermon series called “Faith Seeking Understanding.” Each week I looked at the tenets of a basic religion—Islam, Judaism, and even Atheism—though Atheism is not a religion. I ended the series by preaching on Christianity. During the series a group of people at Chain of Lakes expressed a desire to attend prayers at the Blaine Islamic Center. Last night was the opportunity for many of us to attend.

One of the benefits of this series is my friendship with Zafar Saddiqui, who is co-founder and past president of the Islamic Resource Group (IRG). The mission of the IRG is to build bridges of understanding between Muslim Americans and the broader community through education. Zafar  serves on the advisory board of the Muslim Christian Dialog Center (MCDC) at the University of St. Thomas and is a member of the Minnesota Multi-faith Network (MnMN).

The people of Chain of Lakes first developed a relationship with the Blaine Islamic Center in 2017 when the Dar-Al Farooq Islamic Center was bombed. The Session of Chain of Lakes approved a letter expressing outrage at this bombing, complete support and the commitment to safety of our friends in the Islamic community. I personally delivered the letter to Iman Waleed Shady of the Blaine Islamic Center.

When I showed the picture below to Iman Shady last night he smiled. Both of us were seven years younger, but our commitment to inter-religious connection has not waned.

The gathering last night was beautiful—a community celebration of connection. At least a hundred people attended, including officers from the Blaine Police Department and local political leaders. I had the opportunity to sit at the table with two of the Imans, including Iman Shahid.  I showed him the picture of sharing this letter in 2017.

The evening started with a call to prayer and then the recitation of the Quron by a younger Iman from the Blaine Islamic Center. Two young people shared a talk on Islam 101. We had a friendly competition among tables about knowledge of Islam. We had conversation at our tables. When the time of sunset arrived everyone went upstairs to either pray or to observe the prayers. We then went back to our tables to enjoy a beautiful meal from the Holy Land Deli. Gifts were distributed from the Blaine Islamic Center.

Opportunities to grow in understanding about other religions are rare and important to enjoy. And unfortunately Islamophobia is a terrible reality. Calls to prevent Muslims from entering America are counter to what Jesus would teach. 

I’m excited about the growth of the Blaine Islamic Center. Iman Shaady shared that a new Islamic Center is being proposed in Lino Lakes, on the corner of Main and Sunset. 

As a Christian leader I’m not threatened at all by this growth. My work at Chain of Lakes is to create an authentic, Christian community where strangers become friends who become disciples who impact the world. I don’t see my work in competition with the Blaine Islamic Center. Instead I see us partners in creating the Kingdom that God desires. 

Last night’s Iftar was a wonderful opportunity to live into this Kingdom.

I turned sixty yesterday. Looking forward and backwards at a milestone

I turned sixty yesterday, March 3, 2024.

I had a marvelous day. I woke up with my favorite person giving me a hug and jokingly saying, “You made it.” 

I was part of a lovely picture taken on our family’s deck. Then I was able to receive all sorts of love at Chain of Lakes Church. I knew they were going to do something, but they surprised me. They surprised me by sharing a video of birthday greetings that my sister, Pam shared. It’s worth watching. Go to my Facebook page to check it out. I could write eight hundred words just about her two minute video. Then they shared cards and gifts and ensured that I’ll be doing a lot of golfing this summer. The rest of the day was with Amy’s family in Wisconsin and then talking to my parents to close the day. 

The average life span for a white male in the United States is seventy-five or so.  I’m not sure how much control I ultimately have over my life span—but the way look at it I’d like to live in good health to ninety or make it past a hundred like my Grandma Maxine. 

I live with a Minnesota-developed sense of humility; however I can unabashedly say that I am blessed. My wife told me on Saturday that she wants to go on a date every Saturday; my daughter and her partner, Carter are terrific parents to my granddaughter, Elouise; the congregation I serve is growing fast, and I don’t see this stopping in the near future; even though I have a mechanical valve in my heart, my health is excellent. 

I’m in my prime right now. One of the best cards I received was from Amy’s parents. It basically said that at sixty a person has been around enough to understand how life works and young enough to still have health. This is how I feel. I have the opportunity to work every day at a job I love. Our church is currently experiencing significant growth and are on the verge of something even more special. I’ve been doing this for thirty-one years, so I have a sense of what needs to be done. I think we’re on the verge of something significant. And I have my health. Besides having a mechanical valve in my heart and weighing a bit too much, my health is terrific. 

I can’t wait to see what this decade brings. But before I look forward too much, let me share some significant stories from the last decade. If someone asked me what the significant stories were of being in your fifties in no order of importance I would say this. 

Going to Europe with Amy

I won’t forget getting on a Viking Longboat and traveling on the Rhine River for nine days. We took a long-boat trip from Basel to Amsterdam. I wrote about this on September 21, 2021. Some of the places we docked were Kehl, Rudesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, and Arnheim. I loved seeing the castles on the River. This was a trip of a lifetime and my favorite part of my 50’s. 

Having open heart surgery

I never would have imagined that in the fall of 2015 I would be lying on the grassy knoll adjacent to Quail Creek Parkway while running. Something was wrong with my heart. And I’ll never forget going to a Cardiologist. He started drawing circles and then told me that I had a bicuspid, aortic valve that had significantly narrowed, and if I didn’t have it replaced I would be dead in a year.

Didn’t see any of this coming. The rest was a blur. Having surgery, being in the hospital for about a week, recovering at home.           

I am incredibly fortunate. Because I know that if I was born fifty or so years earlier, I would be dead. This gives me quite a perspective on life. 

Thank God that I am a runner, thank God for terrific medical professionals, and thank God for the terrific support I received from my family and friends. 

Becoming a church, moving into our new church building, and going through a growth spurt

On November 12, 2017 Chain of Lakes became an established church. This was a big deal, and we celebrated. I wrote about this on my blog on November 21, 2017. We then broke ground on our building in August of 2021. I wrote about this on my blog on August 16, 2021. Our first worship service was the last Sunday of May in 2022.

Chain of Lakes has recently experienced a growth spurt. Our worship attendance is almost forty percent higher in 2024 than at the same time period in 2023.  Of the nine services in 2024 four times the worship attendance has been higher than the highest attended service in 2023. We took in nine new people last month and could easily take in another nine before summer. All of this is happening while we are staying very involved in the community.

Becoming a grandfather

I could have hardly imagined the joy that Elouise Ivy Joy Perteet has brought to our household. Pure, unadulterated joy. All of us are having so much fun seeing her go through her different stages. Not long until she will completely roll over, and then get on her knees, and then … watch out world. Seeing Hannah and Carter figure out being parents is also a joy. And it’s not a joy to realize how much childcare costs. Something needs to be done. I have no problem in going out on a limb and saying that low-cost childcare and pre-school is needed. If children can basically go to school without cost, why not provide something similar in their first five years. 

Living through the pandemic    

The pandemic was awful. What made it worse was our country was not able to come together around issues of testing and masks. I’m still dumbfounded by the polarization over COVID. Thank God for the vaccines! 

Those are four significant events of the last decade. I wonder what I’ll write about ten years from today.

It will be a blast to find out!