I work for a congregation that has two campuses: one is urban in Minneapolis, MN, and the other is suburban in Minnetonka, MN. One Sunday at the Minnetonka campus, I invited the kids forward for storytime. We had a mob of them that day, and I said to the congregation, “Isn’t fun to see all … Continue reading Kids in Worship

Confirmation is tricky. Parents value education for their students to learn about the stories of God and Martin Luther's small catechism. But I am not sure these are things students value or need to talk about. I have been at my church for almost 3 years, confirmation has waded through the Bible stories of Jesus … Continue reading 20 Questions for Confirmation

The world is a divisive place these days. Just the other morning, someone said to me, "The people are rejecting God!" and someone else said, "The church is rejecting the people!" It's a game of judgement and finger pointing. So I have decided that whatever I am about in the world as a pastor, parent, … Continue reading Ice Cream Can Heal

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