Weekly Reflection

August 18, 2022 I continue to find myself filled with hope for the next years of our church, the ELCA, after returning from Churchwide assembly. We have plenty of work ahead of us, yet we are rooted in Christ and joined together by our common work – our worship and liturgy (liturgy meaning “the work of the people”). If you want to read a great and…

August 4, 2022 I wanted to make sure I got this one out to you before Leigh and I head off to Churchwide Assembly to discern, decide, worship, and pray about matters facing our denomination. You can learn more about this trienniel gathering of our denomination by reading my August newsletter…

July 28, 2022 Throughout the gospels, Jesus is asked nearly 200 questions yet only responds with an answer 3-8 times (depending on which biblical scholar is doing the counting).  Last Sunday’s gospel reading is one of the times Jesus responds directly to a request from his disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). Jesus answers the…

July 21, 2022 I continue to be awestruck by the wonder-full images of our universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope like the one below: We are seeing images of things that were merely invisible until now. In many ways, scientists new something about what was “out there” that we…

July 14, 2022 These last few weeks, we’ve started a weekly video podcast all about wonder, curiosity, and not having all the answers. Every Tuesday at 9 PM live on Facebook and YouTube, my friend since elementary school, Brandon, and I talk about questions on All Questions Considered.  One of my deepest convictions at the moment is that we could all…

July 7, 2022 You’re free to go. Most of the time when we hear those words, we automatically surround them with a context of argument and fill them with a connotation of dismissiveness, hurt, and frustration. But I’d like to reframe these words for you in this week that held our nation’s Independence Day and where we have heard so much about…

June 30, 2022 You’re probably tired of hearing me talk about how we are in uncharted territory. I’m tired of hearing me talk about all the change and major shifts and unprecedented experiences we’ve been going through for the last few years. We truly are entering into a new landscape, a changed world in this moment.  So was Abram in our reading Sunday…

June 23, 2022 Moses is wrapping up his final sermon to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 30-31) and leaves the people with encouragement, entreating them to remember God is with them and God will not fail or forsake them. Moses dares to proclaim this good news and the imminent fulfillment of God’s promise to bring these people into the land God promised to Abraham even as…

June 16, 2022 Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday, a day where we draw close to the mystery of God who is three-in-one and one-in-three. Last Sunday, we also heard a sermon that from three voices of leaders across our synod – three voices, three perspectives, one sermon, one gospel in Christ. What a gift to be created in the image of a God who is diverse and yet is one.…

June 9, 2022 The energy of the church is the Holy Spirit.Sometimes we forget this. We look to the church’s leaders, to our pastors, to our bishops, to our young adults, to our youth, to our resources all in search of energy that will move us, enliven us, wake us up, get us going, sustain us. We look to everyone and everything before we remember that the Holy Spirit…