Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, [God] calls a butterfly.” ~ Richard Bach. I was in a nail salon last week [where there was quite a profusion of Christian-themed messages, by the way], and this quote was displayed in a little frame in the window. I actually hadn’t…… Continue reading The Caterpiller into the Butterfly
Category: Church
Jesus, No Respecter of Locked Doors
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
“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
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
Reflections from the Augustana Hochschule
I am back in Neuendettelsau at the Augustana Hochschule, where I studied for a year as an exchange student from Wartburg Seminary during the academic year 1994-1995. Before this trip, I had only been back to Neuendettelsau one time since then, and I hadn’t really spent any time in the Augustana itself. So, it is…… Continue reading Reflections from the Augustana Hochschule
Commemorating Trans Awareness Week
Today in chapel we commemorated Trans Awareness week, and our new homiletics professor, Sam Gilmore (who is fabulous, by the way–we are so blessed to have her here at Wartburg), preached a fantastic sermon. I’d like to share just a few reflections from it. The text was Matthew 23:37–24:14, the passage where Jesus laments over…… Continue reading Commemorating Trans Awareness Week
Remembering the Saints
There are many reasons to get up on a Sunday morning and come to church: seeing our friends and sharing in community, hearing and singing beautiful hymns, and, of course, being fed by Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament. In addition to all of these, another reason that I love coming to church is the…… Continue reading Remembering the Saints
Happy Lutheran 