Back to School
Posted: September 1, 2026“Back to school” — that phrase elicits a whole range of emotions in a large percentage of our population. Being a person who always LOVED school (photo is third-grade Julie, ready to head off to Mackinaw City Elementary), the phrase and this time of year bring feelings of excitement. Even though it has been quite a while since I have been a student and a few years now since our daughter has been a student, this time of the year seems to hold so much possibility. (I will say that the church program year which starts again after the summer lull may also have something to do with this.) What will we learn this year? What adventures will come upon us? Who will we gain as new companions along the way?
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Abundance
Posted: August 25, 2026Earlier this summer we heard the parable of the sower and Jesus telling us that the seed that falls on good soil, multiplies 100, 60, 30 times from what was sown. As a gardener, I like to stop and think about the abundance of the act of planting a seed. An apple tree grows from a single seed and produces 10,000 to 30,000 apples over its lifetime. Each of those apples will contain an average of 5 seeds. That single tree has the potential of producing 50,000 more trees!
Read more →Autumn Leadership Event (ALE)
Posted: August 20, 2026Registration for our Autumn Leadership Event is now open! Rostered leaders are invited to join us for days of learning, connection, conversation, and fellowship in Mackinaw City, October 18-21 at […]
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Sunflowers
Posted: August 18, 2026O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you.
As the day rises to meet the sun.
These are the opening words to morning prayer in one of the devotional resources I use. It’s a great prayer for the beginning of the day, asking God to awaken us to God’s presence as we step into the first sun-lit moments of our waking hours.
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Lutheran Disaster Response: Michigan At Work
Posted: August 11, 2026The North/West Lower Michigan Synod is partnered with Lutheran Disaster Response Nationally and is also a member of the Michigan Volunteer Agencies Active in Disaster. This is the agency that works directly with the Michigan State Police, Office of Emergency Management and the County Emergency Managers, to provide assistance when a disaster happens.
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Youth Gathering, July of 2015
Posted:Best youth gathering. Ever. In July of 2015, the ELCA Youth Gathering was held in Detroit. Pastor Bryan and I were able to travel to Detroit with approximately 12 youth and 3 other adults from the churches we were serving at the time. It was special to welcome thousands of ELCA youth to Michigan and to walk back and forth from our hotel to Ford Field for the evening gatherings past familiar landmarks.
One of the things that was most meaningful was that the people of Detroit noticed us. Those who lived and worked in the area wondered why suddenly there were all these kids walking around in neon-colored t-shirts. In a news story, one person was quoted as saying that “it looked like a bag of skittles had exploded downtown.”
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We’re Equipped For This
Posted: July 21, 2026There’s a swallow’s nest built onto a rafter under our car port, just a few feet from our car. The swallows use the nest year after year, and I really enjoy watching the whole process. The swallows showing up again in the spring, and then eventually…the beaks of the little baby birds poking up above the rim of the nest. Most years, there’s three, sometimes four. The parents fuss and fly in and out as I move the car — not happy with me being so close to their vulnerable kids.
As the days pass, and the parents come and go with worms to plop into upturned beaks, the baby birds get bigger and bigger and it’s obvious that soon they are no longer going to fit in there together. Of necessity, the birds need to learn to fly.
Read more →Podcast & Study Available: Human Sexuality – Gift and Trust Reconsideration Process
Posted: July 14, 2026The ELCA task force reconsidering a section of the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust has released new resources to help congregations learn, reflect, and provide feedback. A five-episode podcast, Learn […]
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Your Matter Matters, a Podcast
Posted:Your Matter Matters is a limited-series podcast hosted by ELCA Lutheran pastors Will Rose and Thomas Johnston that explores the relationship between faith and science, encouraging conversation rather than conflict. Through […]
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3,000 Bottles of Gatorade
Posted:“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me… and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40, 42)
During announcements this past Sunday at St. John’s, Baroda, my mind was pulled back to this Gospel reading from two weeks ago. The congregation that morning was told that recently they had partnered with a local migrant ministry group to give out 3,000 bottles of Gatorade at local camps of seasonal agriculture workers. 3,000 bottles of Gatorade — in these days when we are hitting in the 90s that is a welcome gift to those who are laboring in the sun. Many parts of our synod are prime fruit growing regions and other parts great for growing standard crops. Often the care for and harvesting of those crops depends on seasonal workers who are willing to do this work.
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