By Pr. Kelly Chatman It’s time to have the talk in the church. I have been in the Lutheran Church for a long time. (I actually graduated from Lutheran high school, college, and seminary.) I learned early that if a preacher was preaching to the choir, she wasn’t preaching to me. If we are only [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen What words would best capture my feelings three Saturdays ago when our Synod Assembly elected me to a second term? I was truly overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Any call process is full of mystery. And the process for electing a bishop is particularly so – as a call committee of [...]
By Emilie Bouvier O Holy One, stirring Spirit of Pentecost, we give thanks for the gentle breeze, the rushing wind of storms, the wind that carries seeds, and the wind that powers electricity. Help us to steward these gifts of wind and air, and all your good creation. Lord in your mercy, ... hear our [...]
By Bob Hulteen I loved the red-letter edition of the Bible growing up. Now, it so happened that the Bible my folks gave me also had a red cover, but that’s not why I loved the red print. No, it’s because I was really only interested in Jesus. Now, I also loved Captain America and [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen If you are Christian growing up in Northeastern Nigeria, you will likely face additional hurdles when applying for university or secondary school. If you were a Christian growing up in Leipzig under Soviet rule, the same could be true. For so many reasons, I am amazed and grateful for our companion [...]
By Pastor Craig Pederson “Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to [the eunuch] the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" Acts 8:35-36 “What is [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Did you get your taxes done? Perhaps, the storm gave you time needed to finish. Perhaps, you just got your Form 4868 done early (and if you’re not familiar with Form 4868, kudos to you). Perhaps, you plan for a big refund, so you mailed your tax return as soon as [...]
By Pr. John Hulden I love cheeseburgers. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved cheeseburgers When I was 8 years old or so, my family stopped in a small town in Oregon for a mid-trip lunch at a main street café. After all of us had ordered, I looked out the big [...]
By Rev. Deb Stehlin Have you recovered from your Holy-Week-into-Easter observance? If you’re leader in a congregation, you’ve probably preached, sang in the choir, and made sure there’s enough toilet paper in the restroom. Today, you might still feel like you’re walking through wet cement. But it’s a good kind of tired, right? Because Christ [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen When I was serving a congregation, I often felt that the pace of Holy Week was similar to that of college finals. Three research papers were due (read: sermons) as well as four oral exams (read: leading worship services). Sometimes I felt like it might simpler to pack a sleeping bag [...]
