Last week, I had the chance to spend some time with a large group of ELCA pastors from the Midwest. Despite being from the heart of Lutheran country they, like the rest of us, are facing the full litany of declining things: members, attendance, budgets,...
We are fast approaching the American holiday that will launch thousands of tweets, posts, and photos with largely the same theme: a crowded table of people and food and some sentiment on how the person posting is “feeling grateful.” Culturally, that may work. Biblically, it completely...
When I wake up in the afternoon Which it pleases me to do Don't nobody bring me no bad news ‘Cause I wake up already negative And I've wired up my fuse So don't nobody bring me no bad news When you're talking to me Don't be cryin' the blues 'Cause don't nobody...
Vocation is not so much what we do, it's how we do it. It’s not so much a question of occupation but of operation and orientation, the way in which we do things and the posture we take. One of the best ways of summing...
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does...
Do you know what that sound is? It's the sound of too many voices in your head. The voices of people arguing about masks, vaccines, and policies for in-person worship. The voices of people offering more opinions than support. The voices of faith working through love. The voices of...
Can we talk? Depending on your age and social location when you read this question you may think of the popular Tevin Campbell song of the early 1990’s of the same name and the infectious chorus: Can we talk for a minute? Girl, I want to know...
On a recent podcast, political strategist Paul Begala was commenting on the strident forms of conflict expressed in the political sphere, especially on social media. He admitted that he was deeply involved on Twitter, with thousands of followers. Almost as an aside, he said: For Lent...
An old saying among black folks is that we laugh to keep from crying. We sing and dance in defiance to the dreadfulness of our days. Our joy protests the persistent suffering and instability that has so often shaded our path. Frustratingly, it has left...