Maybe [Jesus] felt the pressure of his mom’s faith. Maybe he struggled to trust his dad’s love for him. Maybe he was burdened by the expectation that he was supposed to be the one to bring a word of hope to those who were suffering. Maybe some days he just… Continue reading
This is all coming up now because I’m finally in a place where the external chaos is fairly non-existent and these folks around me are challenging my core assumptions about myself and about relationships. So the cries for help from the inner me…the ME that has been buried underneath all… Continue reading
They say it helps to tell the storyTo get it out and lay it bareThey say it helps to talk about itTo find a safe environment to share. So I’ve been thinking about my storyAnd about what I would sayI’ve been thinking about those memoriesThat for so long have been… Continue reading
I believe to the core of my soul that God loves and calls children and youth and that the Holy Spirit dwells in them. Let’s be honest—I’m not a great youth minister. I don’t remember the fun games. I don’t have a bunch of treats and prizes in my back pocket. I forget… Continue reading
We don’t need new programs, expensive curriculum, or charismatic staff to nurture and support faith formation with children. We also don’t need to hold on to metrics of success anchored in old models. We DO need to clarify our purpose for wanting to engage children, become comfortable telling our own stories of transformation, take seriously the promises we say together at baptism, regenerate a commitment to tend to our own faith, and continue to respond to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our communities. Continue reading
This devotion was initially created for publication in Eternity for Today, a devotional resource from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, for the week of March 12, 2022 Isaiah 55:1-9 Seek the Lord while [the Lord] may be found, call upon [God] while [God] is near; (Is. 55:6) In early… Continue reading
Read: Numbers 14:10b-24 Forgive the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love… (14:19a) Reflect: Children have a particular ability to remind parents or adults of things said or done in a different context–whether it’s reminding a parent of an earlier promise, reminding a teacher of… Continue reading
I have recently been reviewing old blog posts, and I came across a reflection I wrote following Ash Wednesday when I worked as a preschool teacher at a Lutheran preschool. I did my internship at that preschool, where my focus was intentionally creating and reflecting on the connections between faith… Continue reading
For a variety of reasons, I’ve been reflecting on those things that compelled me to go into a professional church leadership career. I ran across this reflection on my ‘call story.’ I figured if I wanted to understand how Lutherans understand faith development, I needed to experience camp. After college… Continue reading
I was setting up my nativity characters for chapel this week, and was reminded about a preschool chapel last year that became the central illustration in a sermon I preached on Dec. 20, 2015. The sermon was in the context of a ‘Traveler’s Christmas,’ a Christmas Eve service for those… Continue reading