This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some of what I have found interesting and thought provoking over the past week with all of you. To make sense of the links, I have grouped them by the following categories: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Stewardship; Vocation and Miscellaneous. … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Tears, Change, and Trust

The following is the sermon that I shared this weekend at Woodlake Lutheran Church in Richfield, Minnesota. It is a message based on the focus text of Psalm 27:1-6 and the accompanying gospel reading of Matthew 6:25-34, the readings assigned for this weekend by the Narrative Lectionary.  As we read from and proclaimed with the Psalmist, hear these words again, “The Lord is my light and my … Continue reading Tears, Change, and Trust

Climbing in Trust & Facing Change

I am preaching this weekend at Woodlake Lutheran Church in Richfield, Minnesota. The following is a draft of sermon I will not be giving, based on the focus text of Psalm 27:1-6 and an accompanying gospel reading of Matthew 6:25-34, the readings assigned for this weekend by the Narrative Lectionary. What follows was going to be the majority of my sermon this weekend as of … Continue reading Climbing in Trust & Facing Change

Repentance, Mourning and Work to be Done

  Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, released the following statement and letter yesterday: It has been a long season of disquiet in our country. From Ferguson to Baltimore, simmering racial tensions have boiled over into violence. But this … the fatal shooting of nine African Americans in a church is a stark, raw manifestation of the sin … Continue reading Repentance, Mourning and Work to be Done

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some of what I have found thought provoking and engaging over the past week with all of you. To help make sense of all these stories, articles and links I have grouped them by the following categories: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media & … Continue reading This Week’s Links

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some of what I have found interesting and thought provoking over the past week with you. To make sense of all of these links I have grouped them by the following categories: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Stewardship; Vocation and Miscellaneous. … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Rivers, Mountains, Churches and Change on the Horizon

For about the past five years, my wife Allison and I have called the Twin Cities “home.” Our first home together as a married couple was our seminary apartment. Our second, has been our post-seminary apartment. A funny thing happened in the past year though, our post-seminary apartment became Allison’s in-seminary apartment. While I had discerned a calling to a more formalized ministry role in … Continue reading Rivers, Mountains, Churches and Change on the Horizon

The Dentist’s Office, a Generous Widow and a Faithful Congregation

The following is a message that I gave in the Matins (Morning Prayer) worship service at Woodlake Lutheran Church in Richfield, Minnesota on Wednesday June 3, 2015. It is based on Psalm 27:1-6 and Luke 21:1-4.  The Dentist’s Office, a Generous Widow and a Faithful Congregation: Psalm 27 inspired reflections on trust The other day I was on my back watching and feeling as my … Continue reading The Dentist’s Office, a Generous Widow and a Faithful Congregation

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some of what I have found interesting and thought provoking over the past week with all of you from around the internet. To make sense of all of these links I have grouped them by the following categories: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Taking a Congregation’s Stewardship Temperature

If you follow this blog with any regularity, you know that I occasionally share thoughts, ideas and questions about stewardship. Today I am sharing about an in-progress idea with all of you.  I am currently serving a congregation as its Intentional Interim Director of Worship, Music and Stewardship. This is basically a nice way of saying that I am doing a lot of work cultivating … Continue reading Taking a Congregation’s Stewardship Temperature