This is one of the Advent devotionals I have been using this season [shout-out to faculty colleague Troy Troftgruben, who is one of the contributors], and I really loved today’s reflection. Here it is; and I hope it sparks your own thinking about joy, and how you come alive in service to God and others!…… Continue reading What Makes You Come Alive
Category: Imagination
The “Now” of the Church
This book, The End of Theological Education, by Ted Smith, is part of a larger series, “Theological Education Between the Times.” I have read several books in this series, and I highly recommend them; you can find out more about it here: https://www.htiopenplaza.org/tebt#:~:text=The%20Theological%20Education%20between%20the,of%20this%20time%20of%20transition. I read this particular book over the weekend, and I thought it…… Continue reading The “Now” of the Church
A Miracle for the Camels
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples…… Continue reading A Miracle for the Camels
Letting Go
And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Matthew 4:19 The new academic year at Wartburg Theological Seminary is up and going, and I was privileged to preach at the opening worship service. Instead of preaching on following, I preached on leaving/letting go. I think the idea that…… Continue reading Letting Go
The Bread of Life
If you attend a congregation in a denomination that follows the daily lectionary [like most ELCA Lutheran congregations], you have been deep in John 6 for several weeks, hearing a great deal about bread–and Jesus’ relationship to bread, to life, and to his Father. Most pastors will tell you that this can be a hard…… Continue reading The Bread of Life
Whisper, “found.”
As I was skimming one of my favorite book of meditations and prayers yesterday, I found a lovely prayer by Rev. Emmy Kegler. It is called “For All the So-Called Lost,” and it is a reflection on Luke 15:8: “And what woman, if she had ten coins and lost one, wouldn’t light a lamp, and…… Continue reading Whisper, “found.”
Jesus & John Wayne
This book came highly recommended by several colleagues, so I finally got around to reading it. I see what the fuss is all about. The thesis is clear and straightforward: for more than a century a significant percentage of white evangelicals (especially men) have been cultivating a toxic “militant Christian masculinity” that has corrupted American…… Continue reading Jesus & John Wayne
Christian Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”Romans 15:13 This is the verse that the Wartburg Theological Seminary Class of 2024 chose as their verse, and so it was the verse that grounded the “charge”…… Continue reading Christian Hope
Genesis, by Marilynne Robinson
I want to share some thoughts about Reading Genesis, by Marilynne Robinson. I can’t remember who first told me about this literary commentary on Genesis, written by one of my favorite authors, but I do know that as soon as I heard about it, I went online and bought it right away. I know something…… Continue reading Genesis, by Marilynne Robinson
Between Confidence and Fear: the Risen Christ
At dawn on that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body. There was just one problem: an enormous stone was blocking their way. There was no way they were going to be able to roll away that stone, and they…… Continue reading Between Confidence and Fear: the Risen Christ
Happy Lutheran 