One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the TV show Shark Tank. Anybody else? (Come on…admit it!). This show has pretty-much no real redeeming value, but, there are occasional moments when in an attempt to avoid my “to-do list,” I’ll watch an episode…or two. For the uninitiated, Shark Tank is a show where budding inventors and entrepreneurs … More Where Does the Time Go?
So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. 1 Corinthians 14:21 Everything has a purpose…a reason…a “why.” The gifts of God, the fruits of the Spirit, are given for a purpose. And as the recipients of these gifts, that … More Gifts that Build
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 … More Water Always Wins
A question I wonder about a lot is: “When God imagines Trinity in the days to come, what does God see?” Our leadership has spent a lot of time thinking…and praying about this question. We are confident in our mission, (Remember the mission? “Through Jesus’ love we welcome, connect, learn and serve.”) But what does it look like to be … More God’s Vision for Trinity
Hi, I’m Nicole Weber. Over the summer I went to the youth gathering in Houston. We focused on a general theme each day. And then, at night in NRG stadium, the speakers would share messages revolving around that same theme. One I will share about today is that “God’s call changes everything”. People are called … More God’s Call Changes Everything
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
This week I am at the annual continuing education conference for senior pastors of large ELCA congregations. Yesterday at one of our sessions, there was a panel discussion of all of the presidents of the nine ELCA seminaries. They were discussing the changing needs of the seminaries and the ways that the seminaries and large … More Trinity Gets Lifted Up
Test Driving Theology 