Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
No neutral ground
Three officers looked on. They looked on for eight minutes and 46 seconds. They looked on as their fellow officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck. How could this happen? How could they [...]
Take a risk
By Meghan Olsen Biebighauser It’s looking like this will be the summer that my daughter Frances will be ready to ride her bike without training wheels. She takes after her Mama -- overly cautious, not [...]
Finding a public voice
By Bob Hulteen This was the time of year that my dad would pull me out of school to spend the day with the North Dakota state legislature. As the State Supervisor of Property Tax [...]
Just Essentials
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Two of the hardest jobs I’ve had were working at the Wee Care Day Care Center and waiting tables at the Toole County Fair. I was exhausted after trying for eight [...]
Resurrection and relief
By Pastor Craig Pederson While our locations are on opposite sides of the globe, our experiences over the past several weeks are remarkably similar: Some communities feel like they may be islands of respite from [...]
‘Neither brash nor foolhardy’
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen We know the instructions from the cockpit: In the unlikely event of a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop down from the panel above your head. … [...]
Easter Monday Thank You Notes
By Pastor John Hulden A friend of mine asked for laments on her Facebook page last week. All day Good Friday, while in quarantine, she fasted and prayed those laments aloud. This was her way [...]
Catacombs 2020
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Thirty years ago last month, I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I was scared to death, a mom with three kids, ages 8, 5, and 2. I had no idea [...]
Pandemic Grief
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen In all my readings about being a “non-anxious leader” (ala Peter Steinke and Ed Friedman), I don’t recall any reference to anxiety as “unanticipated grief.” But that’s one description used by [...]
After the rain stops
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen How long, O God, how long? When can I leave my house? When will there be enough COVID tests; enough n95 masks? When will this pandemic be over? How long, Oh [...]