Smart Living Rockford - December 1, 2022

Happy Holidays!

It’s the holiday season! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving complete with de licious food and quality family time.

For me, the holiday was a much-needed break. I typically have a very scheduled-out routine, but for four glorious days, I was able to abandon said schedule and visit family in Northern Wisconsin. My aunts and 81-year-old grandma all gladly volunteered to entertain my 1 year old while I enjoyed some time to my self. I finally finished reading Katie Couric’s memoir “Going There” while my husband fin ished “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. For us, that’s a hugely successful long weekend.

At this point in the year, I love to fully em brace the holiday spirit. My mom and I bake Christmas cookies, my husband and I decorate our Christmas tree, I listen to Christmas mu sic almost exclusively, and we all indulge in seasonal beverages from locally owned coffee shops.

Speaking of locally owned, if you still need to buy presents for your friends or family, I strongly urge you to finish up your holiday shopping at locally owned stores in our region. (And if you’re all done with your shopping — wow. I’m mildly envious of you).

As a reminder, dollars spent at locally owned businesses help to strengthen our re gional economy. When you buy gifts on Ama zon or at big-box stores, that money flies away to some out-of-state headquarters. But at lo cally owned shops, a much larger portion of every dollar spent stays within our community. Plus, when you shop local, you’re helping out your neighbors as opposed to some corporate CEO you’ll likely never meet.

Look, I don’t mean to shame anyone who buys gifts online or at Target. It’s hard to avoid sometimes. But, if there’s any way you can shop local for some (or most) of your gifts, you’ll be helping our community out. Most of the time, you wind up with gifts that are more creative, unique and personalized anyway.

Best of luck with getting everything done this year, and happy holidays! ❚

Lindsey Lukas Senior Editor

A Visit to Rockford Lutheran School

There has been a lot of attention and conversation about identity lately, especially for our youth. The search for answers to the proverbial identity question, “Who am I?,” begins at a young age. The formation of a person alized and internalized identity is a long and complex process, but once formed will most likely last a lifetime.

A recent trend has been the shifting of the primary norms or guides of identi ty. For past generations, family, faith and cultural norms played a leading role in shaping a youth’s internal identity, beliefs and self-image. With today’s generation, however, there seems to be an increased willingness to look to outside sources, such as Hollywood and social media, for such norms. Writer and speaker Tim Keller said, “Identity is always rooted in the things we look toward to save us, the things to which we give ultimate alle giance. To ask, ‘Who are you?’ is to ask,

‘Whose are you?’ To know who you are is to know what you have given yourself to, what controls you, what you most fun damentally trust.” But when those things are constantly shifting, are relative, or even are in conflict, stress and anxiety can result. It is no wonder that the rate of stress and anxiety-related disorders be gan to dramatically rise as social media use became prominent in our culture.

At Rockford Lutheran School, we want to help give each student a foun dation and norm upon which to ground their identity that won’t change and will never fail them. We daily remind them of “whose they are.” We desire that ev ery student know and embrace that they are a child of God, loved and saved by Jesus. We want them to believe that they were created by God on purpose, with a purpose. We teach that God understands them and knows and loves them exactly as they are. These foundations of iden

tity come from God’s word, found in the Bible.

If the formation of a Christian iden tity is important to you and in line with your family values, then come explore Rockford Lutheran School as your edu cational partner. We offer preschool (starting at age 3) through grade 12 with affordable tuition rates and a compre hensive assistance package. Contact the admissions office to learn more at (815) 877-9551 or visit rockfordlutheran.org/ admissions. ❚

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Firmly Fixed

We humans get into a lot of trouble by forgetting God’s God and we’re not.

Hubris often rules our lives until we find ourselves helpless in an impossible situation. Only then do we remember we’re made of dust. If we’re wise, we run like chil dren back into God’s open arms. We resolve to keep the Greatest Commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, both in good times and bad. (Matthew 22:37-39)

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, is full of the following story: God puts person/people in a good situa tion. Person forgets God. Person stumbles. (Pride goes before a fall, Proverbs 16:18). Person returns to God and begs for help. God looks at person’s heart and responds accordingly.

It’s worth repeating that God looks on our hearts, not our credentials. “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Sam. 16:7)

The Old Testament reveals a parade of flawed and disadvantaged persons who succeed against grave odds only when they humble themselves before God. Deborah leads armies in a man’s world; Gideon faces down his anxiety disorder; Moses overcomes a speech impediment; Jacob is a liar; Rahab is a prostitute; Noah drinks too much; Jephthah is illegitimate; Oncehumble King David lets power go to his head and commits murder and adultery. No human will ever be “good.” (Mark 10:18) But each of us has an open invitation to cling to the One who is – to love Him with our heart, soul and mind.

Apostle Paul, the top brass of the early church, asks God three times to remove a painful hardship from his life. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10 ESV). But God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul responds: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, per secutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Through our loving obedience, God unleashes his power of good. Our task is not to be good, but to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the One who is. ❚ – Janine Pumilia

A Christmas Tradition With Peter Mayer

By Peggy Werner

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Peter Mayer found his voice while follow ing his heart, combining his love of music with a strong faith in God.

Twenty-three years ago, he created “Stars and Promises,” a Christmas tra dition for audiences in dozens of cities across the country. The seven-piece Peter Mayer Band plays traditional holiday fa vorites, variations of those songs, as well as original pieces.

“People will have a lot of choices for things to do this Christmas season, so we are going to pull out all the stops to de liver a show like no other,” Mayer says. “We’ll bring people together, focus on the Christmas story, and hopefully bring ev eryone back to a peaceful center, reflect ing on the best life has to offer.”

Audiences can see “Stars and Prom ises” on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at

Hononegah High School’s Performing Arts Center, 307 Salem St., Rockton.

The band includes Mayer’s son, Brendan, who has followed in his Dad’s footsteps as a guitarist, vocalist and song writer. Other musicians in the band play drums, bass guitar, violin, piano and woodwind instruments, including bag pipes, flute, English horn and more.

Mayer began the Christmas tradition with his brother, Jim, working on their first album with the same name. They did only two shows the first year. Because the demand for the production grew each year, they added more musicians and played more music for bigger audiences at a wide variety of venues, including churches of all faiths, theaters, concert halls, Bible camps and bars.

Music, like faith, is an integral part of life, Mayer says.

“People are in need of stories and songs about hope, which is what Christ mas is all about. It’s a time for people to take a break from shopping and put aside their problems to feel the joy of Christ mas, and create a sense of unity and com munity that can’t help but speak to peo ple,” he says.

“To me, every song ever written is sacred in some way. Music disarms us and makes us available to one another and creates a space inside of us that takes in only goodness and is a life-changing ex perience.”

Mayer grew up in Tamil Nādu, India, where his parents were Lutheran mis sionaries. Even at a young age, he had a passion for music, and was influenced by both his eastern and western upbringing. His Dad loved classical music, and Mayer can remember as a small child bursting

into tears as he listened. “I knew from a very young age that music had a special hold on me and I made a vow with myself to dedicate my life to the art,” he says. “I learned the beauty of Jesus’ love listening to the Indian people sing Tamil hymns, and seeing how my mother and father found Christ residing there among the Hindus and Muslims that lived near us.”

He played clarinet in grade school,

then played piano, and later learned the guitar to express his love for rock and roll music.

After moving back to the United States, he studied formal theory and com position and taught jazz guitar as a faculty member at Webster University. In 1988, he released his first album for Warner Brothers Records, with the group PM. The album produced the single “Piece of

Paradise,” rising to number eight on the Billboard charts.

That same year, he began touring with the Jimmy Buffet Coral Reefer band as the lead guitarist, a position he still has today. In addition, Mayer has his own bands that regularly tour and have re leased 25 albums.

At 64, he has cut back on touring to about three or four months a year. About three years ago, he wrote his first chil dren’s book called “Junkman’s Christ mas” and has recorded an album with the same name.

He plans to do more writing in the future, but meanwhile keep up the pace of recording songs and touring while he still can.

His newest album, “Songs for Birds,” was just released and includes about a dozen songs he had started but never fin ished.

Tickets for “Stars and Promises” are $35 and can be purchased at eventbrite. com or at the door starting at 6 p.m. ❚

When to See an Orthopedic Specialist

By Stephanie N. Grimoldby

Many people assume that be cause “surgeon” is in his title, a trip to visit Dr. Jamie Frantz will result in a surgical procedure.

But Frantz, an orthopedic surgeon with Beloit Health System who is fellow ship trained in sports medicine, doesn’t push someone to go under the knife with out exhausting other options.

“A lot of people are hesitant to see an orthopedic surgeon because they start thinking about surgery,” he says. “Real istically, we treat every musculoskeletal complaint: broken bones, tendons, mus cles and more. Surgery is part of what we do, but it’s not the majority of where we spend our time.”

While acute injuries – those suffered suddenly, such as from a fall – could re quire surgery if the injury is severe, there is a host of nonsurgical treatment options to help patients suffering from chronic

injuries – the type that develop gradually.

A medical team – orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners – dis cuss possible remedies, which might in clude stretching and home exercise pro grams, anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone-type injections and “all sorts of more conservative or non-surgical in terventions before we get to the surgical intervention,” Frantz says.

There are certain things patients should expect when they visit an ortho pedic surgeon. In most cases, the medical staff will start with an imaging test even before the patient sees a doctor.

“The other thing people should ex pect is that, typically, if you come in for a new injury, there’s going to be some kind of a specialized examination routine to evaluate that injury or that problem,” Frantz says. “Sometimes people have a

sore joint or leg or arm, and they don’t want to move that arm. But that is one of our key ways to make a diagnosis and get an idea of what’s going on. A hands-on examination is very important.”

When should a person visit an ortho pedic surgeon? Shoulder pain, for exam ple, is a common ailment and could be a good reason to schedule a visit.

“I don’t think everyone who has shoulder pain for a day or two needs to come see us,” Frantz says. “But when the shoulder pain affects their daily life – they can’t put on their purse, can’t wash their hair – they should start to think about see ing a specialist.” ❚

RAM: Midwestern Biennial Thru Jan. 30, Thur.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The latest iteration of this recurring display draws together a juried selection of works by Rockford and regional artists. Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St., (815) 968-2787, rockfordartmuseum.com.

Saturday With Santa Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Bring in the little ones, have a picture taken with Santa, and bring donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries, undergarments, and laun dry detergent. Kegel Harley-Davidson, 7125 Harrison Ave., Rockford, (815) 332-9613, kegelmotorcycles.com.

Concerts on the Creek Dec. 3, 7 p.m. Second City Chorus welcomes the holiday season with a repertoire of clas sic tunes. Spring Creek United Church of Christ, 4500 Spring Creek Road, Rockford, (815) 877-2576, springcreekucc.org.

‘Holidays Around the World’ Dec. 4, 3 p.m. Rockford Wind Ensemble presents a concert of holiday favorites, fea

Entertainment & Events

turing music by Anderson, Barker, Berlin, Giroux, Reed and more. Nordlof Center, 118 N. Main St., Rockford, (815) 9876660, rockfordpubliclibrary.org.

A Magical Cirque Christmas Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m. Experience the enchant ment of Christmas with an evening of daz zling performers and breathtaking cirque artists. Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St., Rockford, (815) 968-5222, coronadopac.org.

Forest City Swing Dec. 15, basic swing lesson 7-7:45 p.m.; open dancing to DJ music, 7:45-10:30 p.m. A fun place for people of all ages to enjoy dance. A portion of proceeds goes toward Rockford-area charities. Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Alpine Road, Rockford, (815) 399-3171.

RSO: Holiday Pops Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. Features favorite holiday classics such as “The Christmas Song” along with some fun contemporary pieces such as

“Elf: The Musical Medley,” and a traditional sing-along. Coronado Performing Arts Center, Rockford, (815) 965-0049, rock fordsymphony.com.

Winter Wonderland Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. It’s like winter with out the cold at Discovery Center’s new in door Sock Skating Rink. Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford, (815) 963-6769, discoverycentermuseum.org. ❚

Take basic swing dance lessons before enjoying open dancing to DJ music on Dec. 15 at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, in Rockford.