An ELCA Pastor's reflections on life and the church
It started when the olive wood beads I'd ordered from Bethlehem back in October finally arrived (they'd been delayed, then sent back, then resent again). I've wanted to make my own prayer beads since before I busted my other two sets. I decided that bigger wooden beads combined with a strong, wound twine would lessen … Continue reading Lutheran Rosaries
On 6 March 2019 the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a pastoral message addressed to the church concerning Vision and Expectations, a document first passed as policy in 1990 that has been under increasing scrutiny because of its misuse. Vision and Expectations (version for pastors, version for deacons), it … Continue reading An Un-pastoral Message: Response to “Trustworthy Servants of the People of God”
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever. Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. I have allowed the criticisms of others to define my actions and stopped … Continue reading A Confession for 2019
I always think of my father, uncles, and grandfather on this day. But I don't have the luxury of forgetting once this day is over.
The stigma around mental illness in the church, even in progressive churches, is crushing.
