Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
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 [...]
Mindfulness through the flow of water
By Mercy Zou Taithul Summer season is here! Who doesn’t love summer – the bright sunshine, the extra-long days, green grasses and trees, unfrozen lakes and rivers, gorgeous Golden Hour, and so much more? During [...]
The treasure of the gospel
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen As I prepare for my final days as your bishop, I want to share a few thoughts about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As much as ever, I love the [...]
As the baton passes
By Pastor Craig Pederson “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with [...]
The story I sought to understand
By Pastor Wondimu Sonessa Long before the spreading of formal education, the priests of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church were teaching how to read and write. I remember some students joining our second-grade class because the [...]