I’ve been Lutheran for the summer and this devotion, written by Dr. Gregory Seltz, really spoke to me. We can choose to lift each other up or put each other down. Putting others down is a form of choosing death and is a sin against God. I am choosing life – which means I need …
From Worship Experiences
Righteous In His Own Eyes
I have been reading the book of Job for my morning devotions. Job is a depressing book because Satan has his way with Job, despite Job being “blameless and upright” (Job 1:1). When God brags that Job is “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil,” Satan claims that Job is only …
Woman, Thou Art Loosed
This week at church the scripture reading was from Luke 13:10-17. Luke 13:10-17 tells the story of a woman who had been bent over for 18 years: she had a spirit of infirmity and could not stand up straight. Jesus speaks to her first, and tells her, “Woman, thou art loosed,” according to the King …
Being Able to Worship
One of the challenges of working on Sunday morning is being able to worship at another time of the week. If you can go to church on Sunday morning it is relatively easy to go from church to church until you find a place where you are able to worship. If you can’t go on …
Boudia and Johnson Put Christ First
In case you haven’t noticed, the 2016 Olympics are going on right now in Rio de Jeniero, Brazil. When the Olympics are being held, they are pretty much the only thing on our television. We like to see the variety of events and are a little disappointed in the prime time coverage (maybe we could …
All Kinds of Greed
Last week in church, the scripture for the evening was Luke 12:13-21, “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” It is the story about the rich man who had so much he decided to build more storage barns but died on the night the barns were completed. It is a parable that I take to heart …
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
One night, when John was very little (about 3), he and I were working through his bedtime routine. We had read a story and sung one song. It was time for prayers. Usually I said the prayers and then he would say people that he wanted God to bless. But this night he surprised me: …
Holden Evening Prayer and Vesper Service
This last week Tom and I returned to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland to participate in the Wednesday night Vesper Service. This service was a special service for the Trinity congregation. They followed the Holden Evening Prayer order and had a cellist from the Minnesota Orchestra. It was a special service to mourn for …
The Good Samaritan
Last week Tom and I returned to Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland for the Wednesday night vesper service. The service centered around the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. The service was beautiful, quiet, contemplative, and ordered: pretty much the opposite of the service at Mt. Rose Community Church the week before. Trinity …
Mt Rose Community Church
This week Tom and I took another stab at church by attending worship at Mt Rose Community Church. We tried going to Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland. We enjoyed their service so much the one Sunday we were able to go. One of the draws of this congregation was their Wednesday night vesper service. We …