Author's Notes:This newsletter article was originally published in late July 2021 after returning from a trip to visit family in the Midwest. Reading it again in the current context makes me think about how much of my faith is rooted in what happens during the upcoming weeks of Lent and Holy Week. A friend of mine once traveled to Europe at the end of March. He told a story about the town they were visiting and how all the businesses and attractions were…
As I begin the week of this Thanksgiving holiday, I am filled with positive childhood memories of great family time, while also being stirred about what this holiday can mean to others different than me and those who do not feel included, valued, or seen with these celebrations.Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as I am filled with memories as a child, growing up driving down to my Grandma Hartman’s farm down in Southern Illinois. The day car trip was well worth the 4…
Thirty years ago, I belonged to a Presbyterian church in Oakland, California. The congregation was mostly elderly. When Pastor Carl asked us to stand, he added, “If you are able.” This church had an intimate atmosphere created by lifelong Christians comfortable with their faith. I enjoyed the short walk from my home to the one Sunday service. It was nice to worship with all the members at the same time.Every voice counted in that small congregation, so I always tried to lend my…
As a lifelong Lutheran, I grew up with a close connection to the Eastern Orthodox as my grandfather was Greek Orthodox. All of this was on my mom’s side of the family and my grandmother was not an adherent of the orthodox so my mom grew up in something of a tension that spilled over into my childhood; hence the Lutheran. To this day I’m still not clear how my grandparents found each other. In the mind of the orthodox, Easter is far…
Have you ever been traveling and found that you did not have the money you needed to get where you needed to go? When I was in seminary years ago, I had the good fortune to travel abroad for a cross-cultural class. Pastor Jerry Schmalenberger had been teaching at the seminary in Hong Kong and led a class for us there during the month of January. Part of our experiences included meeting several Lutheran missionaries who were assigned to Hong Kong and facilitated…
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