Church #44. Meet Lent. It starts with Ash Wednesday, March 6. For Epiphany, St. John's Lutheran Church, where I serve as the associate pastor of faith formation, and around 100 churches took part in a project called "Why Jesus?" Looking into the Narrative Lectionary stories and thinking about Why Jesus?, St John's decided to address … Continue reading Five (sort of) New Things for Lent

Church #43.  Meet Pastor Jo Gast. She is the pastor-mission developer at Augustana Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND. With an average worship attendance of 80 people on a given Sunday, Augustana will celebrate 125 years of ministry in 2022. Located on the fringes of downtown Grand Forks and a mile away from the university, … Continue reading More Than Just Books

Baptism of Our Lord Sunday is January 13. John proclaims the kingdom of heaven has come near. What is the kingdom of heaven? It is God at work in human affairs. God entering into relationship with humanity. Here, as a parent to a beloved child. Baptism, for Lutherans, is where our relationship with God begins. … Continue reading Baptism Dove Art

You have heard it before. Little kids ask the question of “Why?” all the time. Right? We used to call my youngest son, Jacob, Mr. Question. Everything asked of him or just out of curiosity was with answered with the question, “Why?” “Why do I have to go to sleep?” or “Why are butterflies so … Continue reading Why Jesus? The Epiphany Project

On my way home about 2 years ago, I stopped by a Target to pick up some dinner. As I waited in line to check out, I talked with the woman in front of me. My kids would tell you that talking to random strangers is a past time of mine. I find it fascinating … Continue reading A Modern Day Prophetess

Church #42. Meet Pastor John Van Haneghan. He is the solo pastor at Fairbanks Lutheran Church in Fairbanks, Alaska. With an averaging worship attendance of 100 people on a given Sunday, this church's mission is "We welcome. We worship. We serve. " With his first call in upstate New York, Van Haneghan started his puppet … Continue reading For the Love of Puppets

For the first Sunday in Advent (using the Narrative Lectionary), we hear the words from the prophet Habakkuk: "How long shall I cry out to you, O God!"  Meaning? How long are we going to have to wait for God to answer the cries and the hurts of the people? Just as the people of … Continue reading A Storytelling Advent Wreath

The other day at church, I led the adult education class on "The Why and What of the Narrative Lectionary?" as my congregation is getting ready to move into the Narrative Lectionary starting in Advent. The "what" part is easy, right?  It's a 4 year reading cycle that follows the trajectory of the Bible, from … Continue reading No More Sermon Notes

Church #41. Meet Advent Devotionals available in English and Spanish. Thanks to a generous grant from the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd - Foundation located in south Minneapolis, MN,  there are free Advent - Christmas - Epiphany Devotions for all ages. Fifty people from around the USA shared their time writing, proofreading, translating, editing, drawing, publishing, … Continue reading The Christmas Story Composition Advent Devotions for All Ages

Church #40. Meet Inese Dahl. She is the Director of Christian Education at St Paul Lutheran Church, School and Childcare in McAllen, Texas. This congregation has an average worship attendance of 400 on a given Sunday. In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, St Paul has adopted FAITH5 household devotions. (Shout out to … Continue reading The Power of a Donut Box