Wild Church
Posted: June 9, 2026This is a photo of Lake Huron taken from the St. Paul Lutheran’s picnic grounds, Alpena. It’s about as Pure Michigan as it gets! Although summer does not begin until June 21, that has not stopped us from switching into summer mode. Gardens are planted, boats are now in the lake, pools are filled, and plans are being made to take some time to recreate outside. A sunny, 75-degree Michigan day is our reward for shoveling wet snow back in February!
Read more →
Persistence
Posted: June 2, 2026The friendship began with the kids bringing me dead cicadas. I’m not sure why they thought I would be interested and I hoped they weren’t killing the bugs for my benefit. My mind quickly went to work figuring out how I was going to re-direct my two new-found Honduran friends. Our synod team was at a national park in Honduras holding a first aid training for the local health workers in our companion synod. I had stepped outside because I was not on the agenda for some time, and I had work to do to get ready for synod assembly.
Read more →
Change Bucket
Posted: May 28, 2026At home, we have a “change bucket” that we have thrown change into for many years. In fact, when we started our change bucket, people were still using change quite commonly! We were also much younger and fresh out of school; so, it was not uncommon to dig into the change bucket to pay for a fast-food meal or an overdue library book. Sorting through our bucket felt a bit like time travel, as I discovered several Chuck E. Cheese tokens from when our daughter was young. There were a few German marks from a trip we took in 1999, just before the Euro was introduced. There were some Canadian coins and even a “coin” from a Mardi Gras parade. I’m wondering what others found in their change jars.
Read more →
The Picture Never Does it Justice…
Posted: May 19, 2026The picture never does it justice. When I am with you on Sunday mornings and I try to get a picture of the gathering, the foreground looms large and you all seem so small in the background. The picture does not capture that moment accurately. Additionally, we can talk about how the picture does not give testimony to power of the singing, the depth of God’s Word spoken to us, and the deliciousness of the meal that reminds us that right in the middle of this, Jesus is with us.
Read more →
Pastor Megan Crouch Honduras Reflection
Posted: May 12, 2026This week’s “Wandering” reflection comes with a guest narrator! Pastor Megan Crouch (Peace, Gaylord) has graciously agreed to share reflections from her recent travels with the Synod’s Global Missions Table. […]
Read more →
Honduras
Posted: May 5, 2026The man standing in the picture above is Pastor Rolando Ortez Martinez. He is the President (think bishop) of the Iglesia Cristiana Luterana de Honduras, which is one of our […]
Read more →
Sheep Week
Posted: April 28, 2026Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the pasture… “Sheep Week” started in the spring of 2020. We were all staying home and staying safe in […]
Read more →
Shoes on the Danube
Posted: April 21, 2026“Make sure you see Shoes on the Danube,” that’s what my sister told me when I asked what she recommended from her own visit to Budapest. “Shoes on the Danube” […]
Read more →Check In: Spring Storms
Posted: April 15, 2026Dear Friends in Christ, In the wake of last night’s severe storms across Michigan, we are holding you in our prayers. We know that many communities have experienced heavy rain, […]
Read more →
Bishop Julie is Off to Austria
Posted: April 7, 2026Thanks to the many rostered ministers who sent in their annual report to me (the personal one, not the congregation one)! It has been very helpful to hear people reflect […]
Read more →