Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
Love for (synod) neighbors
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 [...]
Tempered by the flames
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 [...]
Showing up
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 [...]
Free to give
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 [...]
MYLE Marker
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 [...]
The healing balm
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, [...]
‘Fearing neither prison or death’
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 crags and ledges
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 [...]
The vocabulary of inclusion
By Johan Baumeister The first time I walked into Salem English Lutheran Church was a cold and dreary day in early 2006. I’d visited the Lutherans Concerned (now ReconcilingWorks) website and found the congregation listed [...]
‘ … Lest ye be judged’
By Bob Hulteen The group of synod leaders (Vice President Felicia Boone, Pastors Jen Collins, Ryan Fletcher, David Larson-Martinez, and Siri Strommen) who are helping to plan the 2024 Bishop’s Theological Conference (BTC) gathered at [...]