Read more about the article Jesus Accepts the Cross
A mother and daughter reach out to each other through a glass window at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington. The Seattle-area long-term care facility became ground zero for the West Coast's coronavirus outbreak.

Jesus Accepts the Cross

Station Two - A mother and daughter reach out to each other through a glass window. That perches in the soul - Emily Dickinson Holy Parent and Loving Protector, Heal us from the pain and trauma of separation from our loved ones. Make known the presence of your abiding love to our elders in long-term care facilities and nursing homes. By the power of your Spirit, free them from anxiety and console them with your grace. Strengthen their caregivers and encourage them when…

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Read more about the article God’s Best Work

God’s Best Work

One of my heroes—both in writing and for her spiritual wisdom— is a woman by the name of Pat Schneider. Recently I wrote a profile about Pat for the online magazine Literary Mama. During this past week of Lent we were looking at what it means to be in community with people on the margins. Pat Schneider knew something about being on the margins. She grew up desperately poor and spent part of her childhood in an orphanage. If it weren’t for a few…

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Read more about the article The Gift of Encouragement

The Gift of Encouragement

The first Sunday in Advent is associated with hope. The Bible readings focus on the prophesies of Jesus’ birth, on the coming of the Messiah, which were great sources of hope for the people of Israel for centuries as they waited and watched for God’s coming. But I’m not going to write about hope on this first Sunday of Advent. I’m going to write about its close relative, encouragement.Hope has gotten a lot of air time during the pandemic and for good reason.…

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Read more about the article Thanks to God For My Redeemer

Thanks to God For My Redeemer

I can remember as a young pastor thumbing through my grandmother Emilie Bee’s old church hymnal while serving a small congregation in Grafton, Illinois. I remember the congregation well because we had to cross the Mississippi into Illinois by way of a barge/ferry. As I perused her hymnal, I came across a piece of music that has become one of my favorite Thanksgiving poems. I like it, first, because it is so simple, and second, because it is so specific. It doesn’t simply…

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Read more about the article Feedback and Encouragement

Feedback and Encouragement

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)“…..Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Ephesians 4:29)Oh, how we thrive when we get positive feedback. Someone says, “Good job.” Or she flashes you a smile that lights up her whole face, even making the corners of her eyes crinkle. Or he leans in toward you, nodding his head. Or gives…

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Read more about the article Generations to Generations

Generations to Generations

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5) Our outdoor ministry theme for summer 2020 was “Generations to Generations” based on Psalm 100:5. In a summer season that was so drastically different than typical or anticipated, this in many ways was a perfect theme. Written in November and published by LOM (Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, our national organization), the curriculum team had no idea what was ahead, but I believe our God who guides…

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Read more about the article Grace, Grief and Voices of Hope

Grace, Grief and Voices of Hope

We are 5 months into this pandemic and we still don’t seem to know what is happening to us. The evidence is right before our eyes. There is the ominous daily (steady or rising) count of new cases and deaths from COVID-19. Our public health experts have given us a fairly specific set of practices to follow that could lessen the severity of our suffering significantly, but we as a society are divided as to whether to follow them. We are also conflicted…

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