Here at church, almost every afternoon, we see student drivers practicing their driving skills under the watchful eye of their instructors in the church parking lot. They will practice winding through the rows, parallel parking and angle parking. It makes sense to me; It’s a big lot with plenty of room. I did the same thing when we … More The Middle Place
It was somewhere around the year 1890, when Christian missionaries arrived in for northern Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, where members of the Inuit tribe had lived for a couple thousand years. After arriving, one of the first things the missionaries hoped to accomplish was to get the Bible translated into the Inuit’s native language. Now, … More Joy Comes With the Morning
Sabbatical Day 12 This morning, Lori and I went on a hike to see some more of the area waterfalls. Then, this afternoon, we grabbed books and a couple of adirondack chairs next to the water and spent a couple of hours reading and staring at the lake. I would read for awhile, and then … More The Currents are Strong
I have a recurring task set up on my computer’s “to-do” program for noon, every Tuesday. At that time, I get a reminder that pops up on my screen that says “Let the Dog Out.” On Tuesdays, before the pandemic, Lori would go all day to the Twin Cities for her work. And because we … More Let the Dog Out
This has been hard. I know this to be true. Since mid-March, we have struggled with COVID, with a deepening racial divide and with a toxic election. And so much has been taken away. Not the lease of which has been our ability to gather together for worship every Sunday morning. A couple of weeks … More It Might Be Time to Build Some New Habits
At their confirmation retreat a couple of weeks ago, our 10th graders had the opportunity to ask faith questions about things they were still wondering about. We discussed as many as we could, but I said that I would try and answer the questions that remained on my blog over the next few weeks. Here … More 10th Grade Faith Questions Part III
Note: This blog post was first published in the “Pastor’s Perspective” column in the Owatonna People’s Press, August 18, 2018 Perhaps this is true for you too: Today, if I step outside and I listen very closely, I can hear it. Even though it’s a couple of miles away, I can hear sounds of the … More Gathering Together…At the Fair
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,[a] and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” – Hebrews 12:1 One of our family traditions is that on Memorial Day weekend, at … More Remember…
There is a young girl who comes up with her family when we serve Holy Communion. When I see her coming in my line, I always smile…because I know what is coming. When it is her “turn” in line, she steps up to me with a big smile. Her mom is standing behind her, usually … More You Too
There have been many “holy moments” during the Luther500 Germany trip. Time spent in conversation with friends, good fellowship, worship…all these things come together to create an amazing experience. But the moments that really caught my attention were the moments sitting in these amazing sanctuaries. Some of which were well over 500 years old. The … More Luther500 Germany Trip: Surrounded
Test Driving Theology 