By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Our son had little fear of danger. John would see something interesting and wander off, unaware of the risks of getting separated from his parents. I have vivid memories of searching for him after fireworks in a crowded city park and wondering how far he’d gotten in the wilderness outside Camp [...]
By Pastor Craig Pederson If you were asked to describe your faith in one word, what would it be? “That’s impossible!” you might say; faith is too broad and meaningful to be summed up in just one word. And yet, this is exactly the exercise that was required for a course I took in seminary [...]
By Bob Hulteen Indulge me a proud dad moment, if you will. My older daughter Korla Masters (who is getting ready to do her seminary internship in St. Paul this fall) related a story from last week, as we drove up to the Twin Cities from St. Louis this weekend. Last week, the Presbyterian Church [...]
By Pastor John Hulden My siblings and I grew up on a three-year summer schedule. Every third summer, some (or all) of us were off to the next National Lutheran Youth Gathering. We all can name off the gathering cities from the ’60s and ’70s into the ’80s – Miami, Detroit, Seattle, New York City, [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen After I was called as senior pastor at Trinity in Moorhead, Minnesota, I received an invitation from the ELCA to attend the “New Heads of Staff” Conference, led by Peter Steinke. For me, the learning curve of senior pastor was significant. Hoping for encouragement at the conference, I found Steinke’s long [...]
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 [...]
