From Above
Posted: March 6, 2026On Sunday, we heard this in the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus: Jesus answered [Nicodemus], “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above.” Hopefully at some point you have heard your pastor talk about how that phrase can be translated “born from above” or “born again.” If you haven’t and you would like to know more, please ask your pastor. I’m going to go off in a different direction from here.
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Dove of the Holy Ghost
Posted: February 24, 2026This is an art piece in the Tirolean Museum of Folk Art in Innsbruck, Austria. It is entitled “Dove of the Holy Ghost” and is from the first half of the 19th Century. To me this looks less like a holy dove and more like a crazy chicken.
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The Muck
Posted: February 17, 2026The phrase has been in my head since I heard Pr. Sherry McGuffin use it in her Around the Mitten reflection for Ash Wednesday. Pr. Sherry was talking about the messiness of the ashes on Ash Wednesday reflecting the messiness of our lives. The Muck. As we look at what happens when humans try to stand in the place of God — when human sin, selfishness, and greed control our decisions and choices, we see the ugliness of it all: poverty, starvation, violence, illness, separation.
I appreciate the breadth of the confession we use on Ash Wednesday. We confess everything from failing to put God first, to taking more than we need, to ignoring human suffering, to ruining God’s good creation. We have not just failed in one way. We have failed spectacularly! The Muck.
More Than Meets the Eye
Posted: February 10, 2026One of the things I love about having snow in the winter is getting to see all of the animal activity that is going on in our yard! Mostly it’s rabbits, squirrels, birds and cats tromping though our back yard. Last week this interesting track appeared in our front yard. I would really love to know what was going on! What are these tracks? Why do they just stop? Was it some sort of rabbit rapture? The tracks this time of the year remind me of the activity that is going on year-round but largely unseen. There is so much more than meets the eye!
There is so much more than meets the eye. This coming Sunday we will celebrate “Transfiguration of Our Lord.” We will read from Matthew 17 about Peter, James and John seeing Jesus in a new light (pun intended) and hearing the voice of God tell them directly who Jesus is. To have been there with them!
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Extravaganza
Posted: February 3, 2026It felt very much like the many youth gatherings I have attended over the years — a large hotel ballroom, chairs set up in rows, a brightly-lit stage at the front. The music starts and people start swaying and clapping. It felt very much the same but with one big difference — there were no youth! This past weekend’s Extravaganza was held in St. Louis, MO. The tagline is “Renew. Educate. Connect.” This is a yearly gathering of people from around the ELCA who work with Children, youth and young adults.
This year there was a deliberate invitation put out to the bishops of the ELCA to come to Extravaganza, to experience what it’s all about, to spend time with the people who are ministering to and with our youth and young adults, and to offer a workshop where we had a chance to listen to what young adults wanted to say to bishops. Our synod was well-represented by over 20 people in attendance. The photo above is from a combined lunch we had with Southeast Michigan Synod.
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Martin Lutheran King, Jr. Day of Celebration
Posted: January 27, 2026Last week I was invited to attend the Martin Lutheran King, Jr. Day of Celebration in Lansing. It is the oldest and one of the largest events held to honor Dr. King each year. The program was terrific. The highlight for me was hearing Diane Nash speak. Ms. Nash was one of the lead organizers of the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement and was key in organizing both the Freedom Riders, who desegregated interstate travel, and the effort to integrate lunch counters in Nashville. She was doing that courageous work already in her early 20s.
It was an honor and privilege to hear Ms. Nash speak. She is now 87 and had to come out on stage in a wheelchair, and yet her voice, heart and mind are as strong as ever. At one point, she said that she wanted to speak to those of us who were not yet born during the Civil Rights Movement. She said that when she stood arm and arm with others facing the threat of violence and arrest, we were the ones they had in mind.
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Gasse
Posted: January 20, 2026Sometimes wandering can be greatly enhanced by having the counsel of a professional. Last year when we visited Munich, Germany, we used Rick Steves Munich City Walk audio tour on our phones. There were a few things that we would have missed if not for Rick’s guiding. One of those things was Viscardgasse (pictured).
Just on the other side of this “gasse” (German for “alley”), lay a plaza containing a memorial dedicated to the so-called “martyrs of the Third Reich.” These were early Nazis who had been killed in Hitler’s coup attempt in 1923. Germans were required to raiser their arms in a Nazi-style salute as they entered the plaza. The only way to avoid this order was to turn down Viscardgasse instead. The golden stream of shiny cobblestones is a reminder of the detour taken by those who bravely refused to comply.
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