I have been on several mission trips in recent years. Each evening we gather as a group to reflect on the day’s activities. Why a time for reflection? We are in an unfamiliar area, with people we may not know, doing things we didn’t know we could do….
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I peered anxiously into the massive sanctuary and scanned the rapidly filling pews. Like a new college student choosing their seating assignment in class, I pondered the pros and cons of choosing one far, far in the back. I wasn’t always this hesitan…
Hospitality. When we think of hospitality this season we might think of an invitation to a friend’s home. We arrive to see candles in the window and receive a warm hug at the door. Everything is festive: trees are decorated with sparkly, white lights…
Watching falling snow at night in the street lights is one of my favorite things about this time of year. It brings a certain peace and serenity to the hustle and bustle surrounding the holiday season. We travel through uncertain weather to connect w…
“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” -Luke 2:19 What a delightful image for Advent. A time of new beginnings. As the darkness of winter closes in around us, I reflect on this simple passage. I treasure many of the words sp…
This Advent season we are reminded in Luke 2:19 that “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” As I ponder my life of faith, I recall the churches where my faith was formed: Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic, and now Lutheran….
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Little Jimmy Siokos walked into a movie theater with his dad when he was 5 years old. The year was 1977 and they were there to see the first Star Wars movie. Today, 38 years later, the countdown board in Mr. Siokos’ classroom at Sudlow Intermediate S…
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Freddie Lassers was pretty excited when his parents told him he could have a friend birthday party to celebrate turning 6. “But I already have a lot of toys,” he told mom and dad, Christine and Alex. So the Lassers started brainstorming: what could F…
St. Paul will offer its Blue Christmas worship on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 6 p.m. This service of hope is designed for anyone in the community who may not feel like celebrating. During the holidays, grief, illness, aging, depression, loneliness, unemploy…
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“Mom, can we have chili dogs?” This was the question from my then-4-year-old brother, Daniel, regarding Christmas day dinner that year. It was the usual family holiday insanity, packed with airport runs, last-minute errands, and family activities. Ex…
During this Advent season, traditions become a part of many of our days. There are as many traditions as there are families. Many of us try to honor and keep those family rituals as time passes and as we enter into different phases of our lives. At t…
“You’re sort of a know-it-all,” my wife says lovingly after I tell her the theme for this year’s Advent blog. At first glance, the theme to Treasure and Ponder only got me pondering what to say. In my day-to-day life, in fact, I consider myself sure-…