Photos, clockwise from top left: Bill Beister, Jill Rodenbeck, Rev. Paul Hoffman, Harriet Monn Stenfeld

Bill Biester

By Elizabeth Puls
Copy Editor

Finding out you are an adopted child can, for some, be a daunting realization. But, for Bill Biester, it was a realization that he was chosen to be part of a new family—just as we are chosen by the work of the Holy Spirit—to be a part of God’s family.

“I have been adopted twice,” he said. 

Growing up in the church led Biester to a life of service to the Lord as a Deacon in the LCMS church.

At a church worker conference in Phoenix, Ariz., Biester met members of Hope-Full Living and was inspired to become an author for the devotional. He has been a faithful author for this publication for almost five years.

His love of writing began in college when he realized that he loved taking classes in creative writing. He was always encouraged to share his writings with the class.

Writing for Hope-Full Living has given Biester the opportunity to share devotions that are important to the aging community by touching on topics that help bolster their faith and discover new ways to serve Jesus and their fellow Christians.

“If I were at their side, this is what I would want to tell them,” he said.

Each issue of Hope-Full Living gives Biester the opportunity to study God’s Word, discovering new insights and promises that he hadn’t previously considered. With each issue, he is inspired to search the scriptures and delve into the ways in which the Lord uses the aging community to further the Gospel message.
 

Jill Rodenbeck

By Elizabeth Puls
Copy Editor

Jill Rodenbeck has been writing devotions for Hope-Full Living for three years, but she didn’t begin her life in the church until she was in grade school.

After moving to a new town, her parents were unimpressed with the public school education provided there. The only private school near them was a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) school. Since her father didn’t know much about Lutheran churches or their schools, he decided a visit was in order.

“We all attended St. Paul Lutheran Church that Sunday, which was Palm Sunday,” she recalled. “This was a confirmation service where over 40 eighth graders dressed in white robes occupied the front pews. This was an impressive display of knowledge, so my dad decided we’d go back the next week. It was Easter. Dad heard the Easter gospel for the first time … We all started information classes to get baptized and registered for school.”

Since that time, the Lord has blessed her with His gifts to share the gospel with others.

As a Lutheran educator, she has always enjoyed reading and writing, but she was unsure about writing for Hope-Full Living when she was asked.

“I wasn’t sure anyone would find what I had to say worth considering, so I was happily surprised when different members in my congregation would stop me after church and comment that a particular devotion was helpful to them,” she said. “That feedback encouraged me to stay with it.”

Rodenbeck finds inspiration for her devotions from worship services, Christian music, and reading scripture. She makes notes as ideas fill her head.

“I ruminate and cogitate (one of my dad’s favorite phrases) until something hits me,” she said. “Once I have an idea, the words flow pretty well.”

Rev. Paul Hoffman

By Sheila Banks
Communications Specialist

For the Rev. Paul Hoffman, writing a devotional for Hope-Full Living is “just a small example of writing a sermon.”

Hoffman served as a pastor for 41 years. Now technically retired, he still preaches often and visits shut-ins for his church.

Prior to writing for Hope-Full Living, which he started doing at the end of 2022, Hoffman read the devotional at his church.

“I was impressed how Hope-Full Living was geared to seniors, and it spoke to how God strengthens us to deal with our concerns,” he said. “In addition, I appreciate how the authors often told stories which meant a lot to me.”

Inspiration for his writing comes by meditating on scripture and letting the images speak to him. He also considers his life stories and scripture responses to those experiences and incorporates that into his writing.

“Hope-Full Living especially touches upon the blessings and sorrows of seniors,” he said. “We are often limited physically and mentally, and we often suffer losses, such as the loss of a spouse or a good friend. Anyone can read Hope-Full Living, but especially seniors who need reminders about God’s powerful hope in their limited lives.”

Harriet Monn Stennfeld

By Ashley Wiehe
Director of Communications

For Harriet Monn Stennfeld, writing has been a big part of her life—from writing poetry to writing prayers for sermons. Writing became a way for her to express her thoughts, feelings, and faith.

“I thought it was God’s gift to me to use,” she said. “Some people are good singers, but I can’t carry a tune so that used to make me feel really bad. But, then one day I came to realize that God’s gift to me was something different.”

And ever since, she has been using her gift of writing and poetry to share with others—sometimes through church, sometimes by request, and sometimes through life’s toughest moments.

In her self-published book, “The View from My Window: A Collection of Poetry,” she writes poems for birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations at her church, and family losses, including the loss of her grandson, Jonathan.

“Tiny fingers and tiny toes
One eye that never seemed to close
Your soft and sweet, yet fragile touch
Your ‘sign of love’ we’ll miss so much.
Your little body fought to live
Until it had not more to give.
In Mommy’s arms, you fell asleep
For Jesus now to safely keep.”

Over the years, she has written hundreds of poems and finds each of them special in their own unique way. Today, she is sharing her talents with fellow aging adults as an author for Hope-Full Living.

She has been writing for Hope-Full Living since 2015 and loves to be able share personal stories about friends and family through her writing. On July 7, you can read a special devotional written about her longtime friend, Amy, and how God provides “bonus gifts and blessings.”

“Our life is filled with God’s boundless love and blessings,” Stennfeld wrote.