Midweek Blog: True Belonging
A couple months ago I wrote about how I had only recently jumped on the Brené Brown bandwagon, and I just now finished a second book by her, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. I chose this second work by Brown because…
Midweek Blog: Listening, Mourning, Connecting
The September issue of The Christian Century magazine had a monthly theme exploring the topic of the “Earth’s agency,” with a number of articles looking at various aspects of ecotheology. This was a timely read to lead up into last weekend’s Fall Retreat and gave me plenty to reflect on…
Midweek Blog: All the Feels
When I was getting ready for my sabbatical I had a list of books directly related to my topic (creativity and spirituality) that I was looking forward to diving into during those months away, but in the end it was a book that wasn’t on my original list that has…
Thou Shalt Not…
Joel and I meet monthly with other pastors and credentialed leaders from Central District Conference for conversation, support, and fellowship. At the last gathering, the topic that was suggested for the group was to have everyone offer a few of their “10 Commandments for Ministry.” What “thou shalts” or “thou…
Lent Devotional: The Magic of the Return
Thinking about our Lent theme of Turn/Return has me reflecting back on one of my favorite movies, The Prestige. It is a movie about rival magicians played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, set in late 19th century London. Explained by one of the characters, the movie takes its title…
Lent Devotional: Go Back Home
The church camp I grew up going to every summer had a tradition that, in retrospect, was somewhat odd. One of the songs we regularly sang as part of mealtimes or worship services was the folk song “500 Miles.” I always naively assumed this was just a camp song, and…
Midweek Blog: Coming of Age
It has been a few years, but it is finally time to start thinking again about our Coming of Age Celebration. Barring any unforeseen circumstances with the pandemic, we will be holding this service on February 27th. The plan is to be back in the sanctuary, while also still streaming…
Midweek Blog: Creativity and Spiritual Formation
The Leadership Team recently approved my sabbatical proposal for this coming summer, so I thought I would use this month’s blog to let the congregation know a little more about what my plans and hopes are for this time away from normal duties. The guiding question that I have decided…
Midweek Blog: RICE for the Soul
I have long enjoyed running as one of the ways I stay physically active, but for the last few years my average miles per run has hovered much lower than it once did. Only recently have I been able to overcome some of the mental and physical blocks that kept…
Midweek Blog: Classifying Connections
Recently I learned that someone I know co-authored a book called, Real Connections: Ministries to Strengthen Church and Community Relationships (written by Joy Skjegstad and Heidi Unruh). I decided I needed to pick up a copy not only because I like supporting the creative work of people I know, but…
