Frodo and Sam’s situation is dire. They are trapped in a dark tunnel with a monstrous creature coming at them from the shadows. True, they have been in sticky situations before, but this one seems particularly hopeless. However, all is not lost. J. R…
When I think of light and life, I think of my daughter, Chelsea. Our experience as a family, with her illness as a three-year-old, was immediately overwhelming to me and my faith. I grew up in the church. My dad was a pastor in a small-town church in…
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” – C.S. Lewis, “Is Theology Poetry?” In August 2017, my wife, Sonia, and I made a pilgrimage to Homestead National Mon…
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Several years ago, someone asked me why I abbreviate Christmas as Xmas. Surprise prompted the question – surprise that someone who speaks as often as I do of trying to live a life in Christ would jettison His name from the very festival honoring His…
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In the hallways and classrooms at Madison Elementary School, eight St. Paul members teach, lead, and offer therapy for the students. For some, this is their first year at the school. For others, they’ve been a part of the building for many years. St….
I take videos of moments, primarily so that I may extract the photos I’d like to keep. Recently I recorded, then recaptured in stills – frame by frame – our youngest child’s birthday cake lighting ceremony and singing. To describe: It begins with dar…
Live from St. Paul, it’s Bethlehem News. The pageant is a story that you might have heard before: the birthday of a Savior. With costumes, singing, and storytelling, kids will share the tale of Jesus’ birth. Narrator 1: Today, merely days before Chri…
As I said goodbye to my friend Sanjana this Thanksgiving, I was filled with sorrow to part ways, but also grateful for the beautiful friendship I am fortunate to have. This friendship is one I never would have expected and has truly been a blessing i…
A few weeks ago, Pastor Marty shared the story of the rich man and Lazarus. When the rich man died, he arrived to torment and pain. God told him that it was because he failed to share his good fortune with others, including Lazarus. When the rich man…
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It is easy for me to let the discord and strife in our country cause me to become worried and sad. Not only do we, as a nation, not agree on important issues like immigration, gay rights, constitutional checks and balances, the erosion of the middle…
Advent is the celebration of Christ become human, His birth heralded by angels. I have witnessed the presence of Christ and of angels through hundreds of days recently spent with my beloved partner in his residence, the Alzheimer’s unit of a local nu…
I lived in Spencer, Iowa, for most of my growing up years. My family attended Bethany Lutheran Church, and the church was an integral part of our lives. Attending church was very important to my parents. Even when we were traveling, we always found a…