Have you ever been a witness? I mean a real, live, actual legal witness? Like in a courtroom? I have. Years ago, I was on a church summer trip with a bunch of the young people from my congregation when they witnessed a crime. They did the right thing, and reported it, and the individual … More No Filter
A few years ago, I was driving from Thousand Oaks, California, to Los Angeles International Airport for my flight home. It was a 40-mile drive, so I gave myself plenty of time to get there…I thought. It turns out I was using Minnesota standards. I was unaware, at the time, of what Los Angeles traffic … More Grace Upon Grace Upon Grace Upon Grace
We are just one week away from the 2nd anniversary of the tornado that came through Owatonna, September 20th, 2018. Remember that one? For a couple of days, the power was out through most of the town, including here at church. We had to shout our way through the Saturday night worship service, and the … More Today We Start With Why
The Spirit comes. Whether we see it or not…whether we sense it or not…whether we ask for it or not…the Spirit comes. And today we remember this gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has been called “Ruach,” which translates to “the breath of God.” Jesus called the Spirit “the advocate,” and the … More The Spirit Comes…
In the fall of my senior year of high school, I had applied to colleges, and I was awaiting their answer. That is a time of anxiousness. Back then you waited for an envelope to come in the mail. I still remember the rule of thumb: a thick envelope was good news. A thin envelope … More When Jesus’ Prayers Are For You
When the decade of the 1960s came to an end, many of the hippies who had lived in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district were forced by rising real estate costs to moved down the coast to the town of Santa Cruz. There, they married and had children, they bought cars and homes and they enrolled their … More Truth has a Name
The first word from the cross tonight is from Luke 23:34. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” The first word from the cross was a prayer. And just as Jesus had taught his people to pray with the words, “Our Father,” he prays on this night: “my Father.” This was different … More The Seven Last Words
I am not, by nature, a patient person. I’m not impatient in an “angry” kind way, like getting mad if someone cuts me off on the freeway…that’s not what I’m talking about. No, it’s more the kind of impatience where I don’t like to wait for things. If I decide to do something, I don’t … More In God’s Good Time
One of my favorite kinds of trees is the Jack Pine. There is nothing particularly special about the Jack Pine, except that it grows in the forests of the northern tier of our state. Jack Pines are about as common as you can get. They are not particularly regal or majestic trees. They can grow … More There is a Story
Sister Helen Prejean is the Catholic nun who wrote the book Dead Man Walking, the story of her experience as a spiritual advisor to a man on death row. We might assume that Sister Helen ended up in this position because, well, she is a nun, and don’t nuns often end up serving the people … More Sneaky Jesus
Test Driving Theology 