Methodist Blogger Profile: Lorna Koskela

Lorna Koskela of See-Through Faith

My name is Lorna Koskela. I’m originally British but will have lived in Finland for 20 years come January. Ironically I only came here for six months as an exchange teacher. I met the man who is now my husband during that time and so I’m still here. It’s been a long six months! We have two teenage kids – a son and a daughter. I love them to bits, but they drive me to distraction a lot of the time too. Being a mum is one of the most difficult things I know!

I’m a local preacher (lay speaker) in Metsku (part of the the Swedish speaking Conference of the Finnish United Methodist Church.) http://www.abocom.net/metsku/ I love preaching but my real passion is bringing the love of God into people’s lives. I think that’s because knowing God’s love, as opposed to knowing about it, made such a big difference in my life. You can read my testimony here http://pulpit.heavenlytrain.com/?p=20

I study theology at the Baltic Methodist seminary in Tallinn and am a candidate for ordination. I teach part time and would like to be a bi-vocational pastor, teaching English in school 1-2 days a week, if it’s at all possible.

Why do you blog?
I started blogging last December because a friend encouraged me. (We first met in CoF http://churchoffools.com/ - back then it was a 3D on-line church and it was great!) He thought that what I said and wrote was worth sharing. True or not I can’t say, but the main reason I’ve stuck at it, it that I’ve realized that writing helps me process what God is doing in my life. I used to keep a pen and paper prayer journal and still write there sometimes, but blogging is different because of the interactive element. What I didn’t expect but has been a real bonus, is the real sense of community that has sprung up, and the friendships that have developed because of my blog. It’s great

When I started to blog I made the conscious decision to be me and share what’s really going on in my life, both the ups and downs. It’s an attempt to be real, visible and authentic – even when it’s hard!

What has been your best blogging experience?
I have definitely got to know myself better. Writing is therapeutic – and much cheaper than seeing a counselor J It’s also given me a chance to look at my journey with God, and see the successes as well as the difficulties.

But I’ve got to be honest and say that reading other people’s blogs is equally important for me. Over in abiding Deb http://www.constantlyabiding.blogspot.com/ shares her battle with alcoholism for example. Reading about it helped me deal with some of my own anger towards my late aunt who was also an alcoholic. Another example is when I posted entries about my own battle with spiritual adultery, I felt loved and not condemned by my friends in the blogger world. Their prayers and their encouragement really helped me!

What would be your main advice to a novice blogger?
I’m not an expert blogger and so I’d just as likely ask for their advice!

My experience, especially if you write daily as I try to, is that it’s easy to slip into trivia, and while memes and quizzes are sometimes fun and a way to relax, they can take away from the focus of your blog. Mine is subtitled: journalling my journey with God, so I want to keep my journey with God to the forefront as best I can. Since it’s my journey there is a lot about me in it, and I make no apology for that, but God should be in the picture too.

Another important lesson I’ve learned is to check my attitude when I write. I’ve learned to stop and ask myself why am I writing this? I also try not to take offence. A man named Jacob left a comment on see-through faith the other day – which was basically challenging my calling to ministry. I chose not to take offense, but to look at him as best I could through Jesus’ eyes. That I could do it, was the grace of God

My site is a joint one with my blogging friend eija. I like that. Not only does she have the computer skills I desperately lack, but she gives great advice for free too. Only once has she ever interfered with what I publish. She simply advised me to hold back on a text. She was right! And I heeded her advice. I did publish it about a month later, considerably revised, when my attitude had mellowed. I was still hurting, but by then I had been able to forgive the person and myself and it made all the difference in what I wrote and the way it was written.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, what would they be?
Ha ha! I probably should only read three blogs a day! Reading others thoughts can be very time consuming can’t it?

I love less traveled http://www.lesstravelled.net/ Ross’ posts do tend to be long and a bit complicated (lol) so I often print them out and read them downstairs in the kitchen over a cup of tea. Even then I don’t always understand what he writes, but mostly I do and it challenges me in a good way. One real regret I have is that I didn’t know of Ross’ existence when I was down under last February (he started blogging in March) otherwise I would have made it a priority to meet him in Melbourne!

Equally good, and possibly even more challenging is Rick’s blog over at http://newlifeemerging.blogspot.com/ He writes “I am more interested in knowing what God is doing in your soul than I am about your theology,” which is a great place to start!

The first blog I usually check each day however is Penni’s http://martha2.blogspot.com/ Her writing is good, but she also usually gets heaps of interesting comments too. She’s RC and asks some difficult theological questions from time to time, which I love. What’s more she seems to struggle with so many things that I struggle with too – even though we live worlds apart.

I’m going to bend the rules a little and add Rev Gals too. http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.com/ This is a ring of some really cool women of God! Almost daily someone gives a summary of the best of Rev Gals – so if time is short it’s the best place to start. (btw Rev Gals are writing an advent devotional together - which is the brain child of Rev Mommy http://reverendmommy.blogspot.com/ – a UMC pastor – who got me hooked up in Rev Gals in the first place!) The Rev Gals network has been really, really good for me. It’s so easy to feel isolated as an English speaking pastor-to-be, in the UMC here in Finland, and I have also struggled with juggling priorities as a woman in ministry, wife and mother as well as part time teacher and seminary student. These women have been a great support and inspiration to me and a God-send. Thank You God!

Who are your spiritual heroes?
Nehemiah is one of my spiritual heroes from the Bible. I love it that he was both an intercessor (Neh 1:4) and a man of action (Neh 2:17-18). He was a great leader. He saw the need, waited for God’s wisdom and stepped out in obedience – at great personal risk. What’s more, he motivated a group of people to work together for the greater good and worked by their side. I want to be like that.

What are you reading at the moment?
I have several things on the go at the moment. This is quite normal for me, but is particularly bad at the moment! Right now I’m reading Barclays’ commentary on James for my seminary studies and I’ve found myself getting so interested in James the brother of Jesus. From Scripture it’s not clear how he was turned around from being so skeptical about his brother, to becoming the leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem. Scripture tells us that Jesus appeared to James (1 Cor 15:7) and that’s it! I’d say his conversion must have been as dramatic as Paul’s, yet he doesn’t mention it himself at all.

I’ve just finished MacLaren’s A Generous Orthodoxy. It’s very good. And I decided today I’m going to re-read CS Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I haven’t read it since our kids were small when I read the whole series to them. It’s time to meet Aslan again I think

What is your favorite hymn and why?
I’m not very used to singing hymns. Our church moved into contemporary worship more than a decade ago, and while old hymns can be transformed to fit into a more modern style- and one of our worship leaders really tries to make this happen - it hasn’t been very successful really. Turku held the Swedish speaking Methodist Conference of Finland last year (2004) and we had a very traditional Eucharist service on the opening night. Then we sang (in Swedish) “The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ the King” The words are great and carry a lot of meaning!

Can you name a major moral, political, or philosophical issue on which you've changed your mind?
Oh yes. I’ve known about Jesus all my life, but when I was an undergraduate I visited Mexico and saw the poverty there. I turned my back on God for a short while and turned to politics for the answer. A few years later the (coal) miners strike took place in the UK, and I saw politics fail the people and tear families apart – that helped me find God again. This year the Make Poverty History campaign brought it all back to me. I think politics and Christianity can be mixed, but only if the action comes out of prayer and not out of the desperation just to do something to make a difference.

What philosophical thesis do you think is most important to combat?
Erm …can I skip this? Seriously the belief that all truths are equal is anti-scriptural. We should respect people’s right to believe what they choose, but we cannot in all honesty say that their belief is right and when asked we must learn to say that Scripture says and we believe that salvation comes from belief that Jesus is the Christ and died for our sins.

If you could affect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be?
In Finland? That’s a tough one. I have chosen not to take Finnish citizenship, and retain my UK passport, which means I only have the right to vote in local and EU elections, so maybe I shouldn’t answer this one either. But I will.

Overall I think the Finnish government does a pretty good job. We pay very high taxes here -both income tax (average around 40%) sales tax (VAT is 22% on every thing you buy!) -and the taxes on petrol mean that it’s now €1.40 / litre !!! But the tax money is generally well spent. It’s rare to see real poverty or homeless people here. Finland also has a very good standard of free education for children, and affordable universities. Health care is inexpensively available to all. Cars and running them are expensive, so most families have only one car. Air pollution and traffic jams aren’t a problem and the local public transport is efficient (in the cities). Inter-city train fares were hiked up this year though.

In 1995 Finland joined the EU and were among the first group of EU nations to use the euro. I supported both those changes. But the decision to build another nuclear power station (the fifth) was one I did not support. I found it particularly irksome that much of the argument for the power station was based on racism and fear of neighbouring Russia. I’m also against Finland joining NATO.

If you could affect one major policy change in the United Methodist Church, what would it be?
Oh another toughie! Don’t tell our bishop but I’m not an expert on the BoD or the inner workings of the UMC. In Finland at least there is a lot that I feel needs to be changed – we could get rid of probably half of the committees at least! Sometimes I feel we’re in a time warp. Prayer please

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Jesus said seek first His kingdom and everything else will be given to you. (Mt 6:33) I think that if we could really put this into practice we would better carriers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a lot more content too.

The Gospel IS Good News but somewhere along the way we Christians lost a lot of the joy and became legalistic. Mary chose the better part and sat at Jesus’ feet instead of being busy, busy, busy. (Lk 10:42) I need to follow her example and prioritize time with God over being busy for Him.

What, if anything, do you worry about?
Ah! On my better days I don’t worry. I find that place of peace with God and it’s marvelous. I don’t know anything better, but it’s quite rare. A good example of this is the ordination process. I have a deep, deep conviction that I am called to be a pastor. Nothing will swerve me from that. But it’s a relief that the UMC have a committee to help discern the way the calling is to be approached. I would like more than a ‘rubber –stamp’ mentor though, so if anyone out there reading this feels the call … do get in touch!

Our family is struggling a bit financially. To be honest this is new for us. We have always had enough, but my husband was made redundant and my hours (and salary) were cut to 1/3 of what they were, so it is a struggle just now not to worry if there will e enough or not. We try to be good stewards and spend wisely (lucky none of us are shoppers!) but it’s a learning curve. Trusting God with our finances is the only way to go, but it is hard not to worry at least a little.

If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you'd do differently?
ROFL. Plenty!

The most important change is that I would have heeded God’s call on my life much earlier. I heard him when I was 16 – but dismissed it because of the issues with women in ministry back then. But the calling never left and now at the age of 45 (soon 46) I still have 3 more years at seminary left.I’m loving it, but …

I was given a prophetic word that God would restore the wasted years that the locusts had eaten (hey maybe you ate them John with all that honey!) based on Joel 2 – and I’ve seen that become a reality in my life, but still …!

The other equally important one is that I would have valued my family more. I almost lost them because I thought that the church was more important.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)?
It was never my plan to live in Finland, (too dark in November and December!) and actually I was on my way to Australia when I met the man who is now my husband. I’ve been to Australia four times now and yes there’s still a part of me that would like to live and minister there. I liked Melbourne as a city, and Northern Queensland, where the rain forest meets the Barrier Reef, is the most beautiful (English-speaking) place I know.

Since I do think I’m called to be where I am – in the UMC in Finland – then I guess this is where I’ll stay until God says otherwise. It would be fun to swap pulpits one day with a UMC pastor in the USA though!

What do you like doing in your spare time?
Reading! Or I used to, until I had to do so much for seminary! In the winter I love sitting by the fire reading, and in the summer sitting in the garden reading. My family and friends are used to seeing me with a book in my hand, and I have a horrible habit of reading bits out to people. So be warned!

I love travelling too. I’m always on the way somewhere at least mentally. Sailing used to be a great passion, and I liked scuba diving, but we don’t have a boat and the season is too short in Finland anyway. The water is too cold for me as well. Did youk now the Baltic sea freezes each year. There are official driving routes so you can access some of the islands in the archipelago! Crazy but true!

What is your most treasured possession?
Oh an easy question!
It’s my falling to pieces paperback NIV Student Bible. It’s ten years old now, and covered with scribbles and notes, and comments. I don’t dare take it out anymore as pages are falling out, but I still use it at home and love it to bits (literally). I invested in a posh new leather bound NIV last Advent (and will do so every 3rd Advent) but I have to confess I don’t love it as much as my old one, not yet anyway.

My second most treasured possession is my wedding ring. It’s a simple band – no diamonds or anything. I’ve worn it continuously since May 1988. Every morning when I am waking up I have a slight panic attack until I have checked that it is still on my finger. Weird I know!

What talent would you most like to have?
I wish I were musical. I’d love to be able to sing well, and play a musical instrument. The piano, the guitar and why not the drums too? I don’t fuss too much about my lack of musical ability really though – I think it’s great that we are all gifted differently, if only so that we really need each other J and take the place in the body of Christ that we are supposed to.

If you could have any three guests, past or present, to dinner, who would they be?
Each of us will be guests at God’s banquet table one day and that will be the best dinner of all don’t you think?

But if we were serving the dinner in my house (and I think I’d like it to be a Shabbat meal, with grilled wild salmon and salad to start with, followed by my favourite recipe Indian –Jewish chicken sauce and rice )

I’d like to invite John, the disciple Jesus loved. There is so much he could teach me about meditation and God’s love.

I’d also like to invite one of the unmentioned women leaders from among the first century Christians, and find out what it was really like. I think they’d be able to give some insight into why Paul wrote what he did to Timothy and how they balanced their calling to be a wife and mother and be a spiritual leader too.

The third person at the table would be my friend Mia. She’s a Lutheran pastor here in Turku Cathedral. She has such an interesting perspective on life, and I think she’d be as daring as me in asking our other guests questions. What’s more she’d remember the answers!

We’d be six round the table of course. My husband would be there too, wondering what we were all talking about and why I was getting more and more excited! Jesus would be present without a doubt. He doesn’t have to wait for an invitation anymore; He knows he’s always welcome to break bread with me.

Editorial note: Lorna included a variety of emoticons in her interview that would not format properly on Blogger.