What have you noticed about your church community as we move forward post-pandemic? What are your people really hungry for when it comes to church? Two things bubbled up for me: Community and Connection: People coming back into the church building have told me over and over again: "How good it feels to be together … Continue reading Engaging Families in the Summer

I love writing devotional material especially for families. Last year, we created "Story in a Bottle", and a few years before that was "Mason Jar Devos." Thanks to a Facebook post I put out a few weeks ago, I was able to put together new summer devotions for families called SPARK YOUR FAITH. Here are … Continue reading SPARK YOUR FAITH

Jesus ate with all types of people. Many gospel stories start with Jesus around the table and talking with sinners, outcasts, tax collectors, or his disciples. Breaking bread together is a story right out of the Exodus story to the last supper and Acts 2. This makes Dinner Church a trinitarian approach to ministry! (Haha!) … Continue reading Dinner+Church=a 4 Week Experiment

Ash Wednesday at Home Remember the game you played in Sunday School as a little kid: "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors, and see all the people!" Well. That’s not the case this Ash Wednesday! In Minnesota, we are expecting 19”-25”of snow, and so that means Ash Wednesday for families will be … Continue reading Ash Wednesday at Home!

One of the advantages working for a large church is collaboration. We can pull our minds together to create resources, sermon series, and devotionals. Below, we have a sermon series for Sundays and Wednesdays in lent. We will have other fun things coming out soon: an online devotional and kid's "Take a Bake" midweek lenten … Continue reading Love Beyond Measure

When I was a kid, our house was adjacent to some woods. My friends and I spent hours running the trails, and playing horses, and looking for unicorns. One friend was convinced a unicorn lived in our so called magical forest. These mythical creatures are supposedly a rare find and hard to catch. But there … Continue reading Special Unicorns

On Monday, January 2, I went to the gym, and it was packed. I said to the front desk clerk, "Why is the parking lot so full for a Monday at noon?" She responded with "Yes! There have been 700 people in the pool and gym before between 5 am and noon!" My jaw dropped … Continue reading 3 New Year’s Resolutions

At Bethlehem this Advent, we will be using from Sanctified Art – What can’t wait? It’s such a fun theme when you think about kids – “What can’t wait?” Many things come to mind like bodily functions, hope, justice, or telling the truth. So to continue with this theme, we have a What Can't Wait Christmas Program. A What … Continue reading A What Can’t Wait Christmas Program

Did you know that the ELCA has an Innovation department? Thanks to a Lilly Foundation Grant, there are congregations around the country involved in the Lead Initiative Project. Churches in the project are invited to get creative and be innovative in ministry. The week, these congregations will gather at my church Bethlehem Lutheran Church - … Continue reading Church Innovation

Last week, I got a phone call from the ELCA Churchwide’s Innovation Department. They have a neat project called the Congregations Lead Initiative. In November, this group of church innovators are coming together, and they will be doing a story swap at my church. The director of the program found this blog and asked that … Continue reading What I have heard?