Supporting Neighbors
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Praying for those who can’t pray for themselves
I am now ending my third week on sabbatical. So far, it’s going way too quickly! In addition to working on research for my doctoral thesis, I’m using this time to have more thorough prayer time. My prayer and devotional life was getting pretty dry. It was more perfunctory than relational; more of an obligation…
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Prayer at the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Meeting 5/6/2016
Chairman Stewart, members of the Board, fellow citizens. It is good to be here tonight. Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for those who serve in public office, especially today we give you thanks for the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and all who work with them to help them govern…
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God’s Gospel Through the Small
I got to know my good friend, Sarah Cordray, through the doctor of ministry program at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Through her, I saw a wonderful picture of small church ministry that I had, frankly, never considered. As I listened to her and read her work, I began to pay closer attention to what…
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More Mass Shootings: We’re better than this
I was sitting in my office at church this afternoon when our secretary asked if I’d seen the news. Today, it was the news of the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA. What I find especially heinous about this attack is that Inland works with developmentally disabled people from infants to the elderly.…
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Building Bethel: Noticing
From February 2015 Bethel Bell Tower newsletter 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of…
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A Day in the Life of a Pastor: A Change Brought About by Food
On Monday, some friends and I began a 10-day dietary cleanse … ugh! … a diet <yuck> I entered into this reluctantly, especially when I found out what was excluded … NO caffeine, NO artificial sweeteners, NO gluten, NO dairy, NO processed foods, NO alcohol, NO left-over Halloween candy. I know … what’s left? This past…
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Praying, Standing & Acting for Oklahomans
None of us begins our day knowing or expecting that some tragedy will befall us. So, we go about the living of our lives making all sorts of things seem terribly important. Then, from out of nowhere, something horrific happens. In an instant, our priorities are realigned. People have many ways of understanding tragedy in light…
Epicurious Lutheran 