Category: Life and Living

The Caterpiller into the Butterfly

Posted in Animals, Church, Creativity, Easter, Hope, Imagination, Life and LivingLeave a comment

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

Truth & Healing, and Indian Boarding Schools

Posted in Bodies, Ethics, Grief, History, Life and Living, Politics, Racism, Religion, Social Issues, Social Justice, Suffering, Violence2 Comments

Those in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America might be aware that the Church has just launched a new movement, the “Truth and Healing Movement,” which intends to support the work of the ELCA to explore the “true history and current realities of Indigenous people.” Find more about it here: https://elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Ethnic-Specific-and-Multicultural-Ministries/Indigenous-Ministries-and-Tribal-Relations/Truth-and-Healing-Movement Included in this movement…… Continue reading Truth & Healing, and Indian Boarding Schools

The 8 Pillars of Joy

Posted in Books, Buddhism, Forgiveness, History, Hope, Imagination, Jesus, Life and Living, Love, Politics, Relationships, Religion, Social Justice, South Africa1 Comment

I have written about The Book of Joy before, because I love it so much. Really, if you haven’t read it, I so strongly recommend it–for anyone, not just if you are religious. It is a book for people who love themselves, the world, and other people–and want to live more fully into a disposition…… Continue reading The 8 Pillars of Joy

Jesus, No Respecter of Locked Doors

Posted in Church, Easter, Forgiveness, Hope, Incarnation, Life and Living, Scripture, Theology1 Comment

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

Posted in Animals, Church, Consumerism, Creation, Environment, Ethics, Hope, Life and Living, ScienceLeave a comment

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

“Deaths of Despair” and Social Isolation

Posted in Church, Hope, Jesus, Life and Living, Relationships, Social Issues, SufferingLeave a comment

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

Posted in Ethics, History, Hope, Life and Living, News, Politics, Racism, Social JusticeLeave a comment

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