Often if I feel like doing a little bit of Internet scrolling and I want a lift, I head over to National Geographic. I love the images, I love the stories, and I love learning about new animals, new places in the world, and new environmental initiatives. I almost always come away filled with wonder…… Continue reading Wildlife Tourism and Instagram
Author: happylutheran
I am the president at Wartburg Theological Seminary, my beloved alma mater. I am an inveterate optimist, runner, vegetarian, and harp player. I love Mary Oliver and Gerard Manley Hopkins, and like them, I'm continually delighted by all the surprising and wonderful ways God shows up in the world.
To Blog or Not to Blog….
To blog, or not to blog, that is the question. At least, it has been for me these past few months. I started my blog back in 2012, and for many years, I wrote every week. Then maybe a year or so ago, it started to be a little less often–maybe every other week, and…… Continue reading To Blog or Not to Blog….
What Decade is this, Anyway?
One of my favorite shows these past few years has been “Call the Midwife.” It’s a BBC show that follows a lovely, interesting group of midwives and nuns in the East End of London. I find the characters really compelling and engaging, and the storylines thoughtful and poignant. In the course of the different seasons…… Continue reading What Decade is this, Anyway?
The Speeding Rate of Extinction. Why You Should Care.
Last week, I read another article in The New York Times about the threat humans pose to other animal species and the environment in general. Read it here: The Speeding Rate of Extinction Sadly, this news is not new, nor does it come as much of a surprise. What is new–and this also just seems to get…… Continue reading The Speeding Rate of Extinction. Why You Should Care.
Easter Joy and Easter Tragedy
My Easter celebration was really wonderful this year. I lead Triduum services with John that included a fabulous Easter vigil with the participation of both college and seminary students. I always find the Great Three Days a very meaningful experience, and this year was no exception. Then, I attended a fabulous Easter morning service, with…… Continue reading Easter Joy and Easter Tragedy
Practical Lessons from the Gay Rights Movement
So, I listened to this really interesting podcast yesterday, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I wanted to share it and invite you to listen, too. (Listen to it here: https://www.npr.org/2019/04/03/709567750/radically-normal-how-gay-rights-activists-changed-the-minds-of-their-opponents). It’s about gay rights, and it discusses the fact that, in the United States, there has been a relatively rapid change in both…… Continue reading Practical Lessons from the Gay Rights Movement
The Danger of Silence
Here we are, again. Once again, we find ourselves in a place we have been all too many times before, and only too recently. Here we are, again, mourning the tragic, senseless loss of life in a mass shooting. This time, at a mosque. Last time at a synagogue, and before that, at a church, and…… Continue reading The Danger of Silence
The Light of International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day! All day I have been thinking about all the beautiful, smart, talented women who surround me–and have surrounded me–and I have been feeling blessed and empowered to stand among them. In that spirit, my thoughts and heart were lifted today as seminarian Tamika Jancewicz led a really wonderful chapel service…… Continue reading The Light of International Women’s Day
Women, Religion, Violence and Power
The title of this blog post is the subtitle of Jimmy Carter’s latest book (well, unless he has cranked out another one in the last year or two–which wouldn’t surprise me!), A Call to Action. It came out in 2014, and mine is autographed–I will always wait in line for Jimmy Carter! I finally got…… Continue reading Women, Religion, Violence and Power
Why Talk about Sin?
So, what are your views on “sin”? Much of how you might answer that question depends on your background–how you raised, and whether you were raised as a Christian (or Jew or Muslim), and what kind. I have written about sin before, but I was prompted to do so again by this article in The New…… Continue reading Why Talk about Sin?
Happy Lutheran 