Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I am here at the Association of Theological Schools Biennial Meeting, which has been great so far–great things to learn and good colleagues to meet. It seems like a good time to share a brief review of a great new book I just read, which is about theological education. Beyond…… Continue reading Beyond Profession
Category: Imagination
New Life—Christ’s & Ours, Really
Make no mistake: if he rose at allIt was as His body;If the cell’s dissolution did not reverse, the molecule reknit,The amino acids rekindle,The Church will fall. It was not as the flowers,Each soft spring recurrent;It was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled eyes of theEleven apostles;It was as His flesh; ours.…… Continue reading New Life—Christ’s & Ours, Really
Atlas of the Heart
I just finished another Brené Brown book, Atlas of the Heart. it is a beautiful book, with great illustrations, and some of the best quotes in the book are highlighted in big colorful type on their own pages. Emotions often get such a bad rap: I mean, if someone calls you emotional, it’s not usually…… Continue reading Atlas of the Heart
The Promise of Something New
For some reason, I continue to think a great deal about All Saints Day, even though we are now weeks beyond it. It was probably because the list of names was long this year–was there any congregation for which that wasn’t true?–and that extended list of names, of faces, of loved ones really brought home…… Continue reading The Promise of Something New
The 21st Century Church: an Exciting Place to Be
The grave of Johannes Bugenhagen If you were fortunate enough to either be watching or attending [virtually] the NE Iowa Synod assembly, then you were treated to a wonderful opening presentation on Johannes Bugenhagen and church leadership by Wartburg Seminary professor Martin Lohrmann. The NE Iowa Synod is my new synod of roster, and this…… Continue reading The 21st Century Church: an Exciting Place to Be
Henri Nouwen on Christian Leadership
Have you read In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, by Henri Nouwen? I just finished it, and I thought it was fabulous, so I wanted to share some thoughts about it here. Since beginning my new role at Wartburg Seminary, I have been reading different books on leadership, and so when I…… Continue reading Henri Nouwen on Christian Leadership
Expanding our Ideas of Beauty
In anticipation of Earth Day tomorrow, I want to share this great story from National Geographic, which is about animal conservation, a topic near and dear to my heart: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/conservation-cant-just-be-a-popularity-contest?loggedin=true The pictures in the article alone are “click-worthy”–they are from the Photo Ark Project by Joel Sartore. Some years ago, I was able to see…… Continue reading Expanding our Ideas of Beauty
Supporting Women & Girls, Now.
Today is International Women’s Day, and while there is a lot to celebrate, it is also a reminder that there is still so much work to do to promote women’s full and robust participation in all aspects of human society. So, to that end, I’d like to invite you to reflect today on a very…… Continue reading Supporting Women & Girls, Now.
Reflections on “After Whiteness”
I want to share some reflections about a book I just read, After Whiteness: an Education in Belonging, by Willie James Jennings. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but it turned out to be something even better than I thought—something really thought-provoking and important. I read it with the other ELCA seminary leaders…… Continue reading Reflections on “After Whiteness”
“Stranger Fruit”
If you get National Geographic, you saw this compelling article, which came out in the October 2020 issue. It highlighted a new art installation called “Stranger Fruit,” in which “black mothers pose with the sons they fear losing to violence.” Here are the opening sentences of the article: “There is a demand put upon you…… Continue reading “Stranger Fruit”
Happy Lutheran 