Category: Devotional
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See & Tell
Mary said, “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Luke 1:49 It is one thing to name God in our lives. It is another to describe…to turn that into a story. That is what Mary does in this text. Mary acknowledges the greatness of God, calling God “The…
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When the Call Comes
A young couple left Haiti, seeking a better life. The storms, the earthquakes and the political instability left them feeling unsafe. They were expecting their first child, and they wanted that child to grow up where there was a greater sense of hope and promise for the future. They made their way to Mexico and…
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Cutting Away
This morning, I dropped our dog, Kennedy, off at the groomers for his “every 8 weeks” clean up session. When he came out, his har had been thinned out a bit (good for summer), he smelled much better, and he was sporting a stylish, new bandanna. After lunch, I went out into the back yard…
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Two Kinds of Waiting
There are two kinds of waiting: There is the kind of waiting where we are anticipating something happening We wait to board a plane We wait in traffic We wait to be seated in a restaurant This is the kind of waiting that makes us impatient. It is when the waiting becomes something for us…
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Worship at Zumbro Lutheran, Rochester Minnesota
This morning, Lori and I drover over to Rochester to worship with the community at Zumbro Lutheran Church. It was a wonderful experience. We encountered warm, hospitable people who were really concerned with making sure that everyone feels welcome and connected. And I had the opportunity to connect with my counterpart there, Pastor Rob Zahn.…
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Everything Will Be Okay
On one of Lori’s and my hikes last year to see waterfalls on the north shore, we came across this message, scrawled on the railing of a bridge that crossed the river below Gooseberry Falls: “Everything will be Okay.” It brought a smile to my face and comfort to my heart. And it reminded me…
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Soaking in Sunshine
A big chunk of the day today was spent outside, doing a home repair project. I’ll be honest: I don’t love doing home repair projects. And I really hadn’t been looking forward to today’s project. It involved digging and pouring concrete. So there’s that. But I went out around 7:30am and got started. At one…
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Water Always Wins
June 6, 1965, 57 years ago today, my parents brought me to the baptismal font at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis. There, they held me over the font while Pastor Gordon Bergin poured water over my head 3 times: “In the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in…
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Freedom to Launch
I returned home on Saturday from a quick trip to Tacoma to see our oldest son, Nathan, and to help him to move out of his dorm. On Saturday morning, we drive to the Seattle airport. Nathan got on a flight to Denver. From there, he made his way up to Sky Ranch, one of…
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Watching for New
Our home backs up to a wooded area. Every spring, I try to pay attention to the trees, plants and other growing things coming back to life. I go out and look at the buds on the trees. Because it seems like we go from bare branches to small, green leaves overnight. And I want to “notice” when the…