Jesus is no respecter of locked doors. That was the heart of the fantastic sermon that our homiletics professor, Sam Gilmore, preached this morning in chapel. This weekend, we welcomed to Wartburg a group of prospective students who are discerning a call to public ministry, and listening for how God might be calling them to…… Continue reading Jesus, No Respecter of Locked Doors
A Cultural & Spiritual Transformation
A week or so ago, I attended a presentation a colleague of mine gave on a grant project she will be leading in the next three years, on environmental education with the Maasai, using the system of Lutheran schools and confirmation classes. It is a great project, with the following components: Decolonizing climate science messaging…… Continue reading A Cultural & Spiritual Transformation
Overcoming Loneliness
I want to share a bit about a fabulous book that I just read, A Path to Belonging: Overcoming Clergy Loneliness, by Mary Kay DuChene and Mark Sundby. We have a small group of recent grads who are reading it, and will have a conversation with Deacon Mary Kay next month, so I wanted to…… Continue reading Overcoming Loneliness
God is Resurrecting the Church
I want to share a modified version of my opening devotion from the Wartburg Seminary board meeting, and the metaphor I have been thinking about for some time: “God is resurrecting the church.” I start this post with some verses from 1 Corinthians 15: 35 But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what…… Continue reading God is Resurrecting the Church
Learning from Burundi’s Civil War
A year or so ago I started a “Reading Around the World” program, which I had read about online. It is basically just what it sounds like: you read a book from each country in the world, A to Z. The woman whose blog I read did it in a year; it is definitely going…… Continue reading Learning from Burundi’s Civil War
“Deaths of Despair” and Social Isolation
I used to write a blog post after most mass shootings, but I stopped that practice some time ago when, tragically, they started to become so regularized. How many times can you bemoan the ease of obtaining a gun, the ignoring of warning signs, increasing violence and the normalization of these shootings? I felt at…… Continue reading “Deaths of Despair” and Social Isolation
Remembering Yesterday, for the sake of Today and Tomorrow
While I was in Oklahoma last weekend, I visited two very significant museums: the museum and memorial commemorating the Oklahoma City Bombing of April 19th, 1995; and the Greenwood Rising museum and Reconciliation Park in Tulsa, which commemorate the Tulsa massacre of the Black community [often known as “Black Wall Street”] in the Greenwood neighborhood…… Continue reading Remembering Yesterday, for the sake of Today and Tomorrow
The Sum of Us
“Why can’t we have nice things?” This question begins The Sum of Us, by Heather McGhee, and each subsequent chapter provides a piece of the answer. The “nice things” that those of us who live in the United States can’t have, are adequately funded schools, wages that keep people out of poverty, and a reliable…… Continue reading The Sum of Us
Unto You, a Savior is Born
Christmas is a labor of love, is it not? So much had to be done to get us to today—either by you, or by others: a tree was selected and cut, purchased and brought home, set up and decorated; lights were hung, decorations were placed; cards were written and mailed; food—mountains of food—was shopped for,…… Continue reading Unto You, a Savior is Born
Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting
On my way to California, I read a book that I was really hoping I would be able to recommend highly. It is called Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, by Marva Dawn. While it certainly does contain some good insights, it turns out I can’t recommend the book, for several important reasons. Let me start with…… Continue reading Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting
Happy Lutheran 