By Bishop Jen Nagel The song that’s been tumbling through my head these last few days is called “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen. “I want a house with a crowded table, and a place by the fire for everyone.” The Minnesota State Fair closed its 12-day run last night, and my state fair memories for [...]
By Pastor Wondimu Sonessa While recently thinking about the value of partnerships, I reflected on the experience of the apostle Paul and his companions as they were sailing for Rome. During the several days of this journey, they encountered a dangerous wind. Luke recorded their experience during this oversea commute saying that “neither sun nor [...]
By Pastor John Hulden My siblings and I all graduated from our very own high school in our very own time zone. Growing up, we moved about every five years following our pastor-Dad to his next call – always to a new time zone. Despite my DNA, I’ve been able to lengthen my calls to [...]
By Bob Hulteen During my morning devotion time a couple months ago, I heard a story on Minnesota Public Radio (don’t judge me for listening to the radio during my devotions) about a car fire the night before along Interstate 94 near Snelling that had snarled traffic just after rush hour. Cathy Wurzer (isn’t she [...]
By Bishop Jen Nagel This summer our family spent a week at Holden Village, deep in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. One evening as we gathered for worship the lights were turned down and large sand-filled boxes and bowls with flickering candles centered our focus. During the service, we were invited to come forward [...]
By Mercy Zou Taithul The ELCA Multicultural Youth Leadership Events (MYLE) and Young Adult Gathering (YAG) was held in New Orleans July 13-19. Although I’d never attended this event before, I was glad that I could represent the Minneapolis Area Synod’s Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices (FPNP), as well as participate in the MYLE Worship [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen What an extraordinary joy it was to represent the Minneapolis Area Synod at the ELCA Youth Gathering, last week! Long before the event began, our synod was deeply engaged in the preparations. We were privileged to provide funding for the bus that brought 45 youth of color from our synod to [...]
By Jessie Goeke I admire those who can embrace the unknown with open arms, though they are a rare and special breed. For the rest of us, transition and change can provoke feelings of fear, discomfort, and uncertainty. Yet, change is an inevitable part of all our lives. When I started working at the synod [...]
By Bob Hulteen When you hang around a lot of Lutheran Christian-types (and their ecumenical friends and allies), you often hear the phrase “spiritual discipline” as a necessary part of following the way of Jesus. The more you poke at what is meant, the more complexity you recognize around not just the phrase, but its [...]
By Nicholas Tangen Last week, I spent three days hiking the Sage Creek Wilderness Area in Badlands National Park, a sharp, winding, and otherworldly landscape. We hiked a trailless loop through the backcountry, over tall geological formations, through knee-high prairie grass, and into concentrated stands of juniper trees. The sky in the badlands was immense [...]
