Hello friends, This weekend we celebrate All Saints Day. Some might think the word celebrate is too upbeat for such a solemn occasion as remembering our loved ones who have died. For the most part, I think this is a perfect word for remembering. The exception being when someone is in deep grief, they might not be in a place to celebrate. We could say commemorate the lives those who have died on All Saints Sunday. That feels appropriate. But still, to celebrate the impact that

Dear Friends, Happy Reformation weekend. No matter what is going on in the world around us, recognizing the Reformation provides us opportunity to be thankful for the ability to learn, grow, and change our thinking. Humility in what we think we know is a gift. Tomorrow is a special day for other reasons as well. First, Chelsea, Jaffa, and I will finish our long Holy Migration series by sharing our own insights. We invite you to share yours as well. Then we will accept new mem

Hello friends, This week I headed out to La Quinta for a gathering of pastors, deacons, and other church leaders. I always enjoy these events because they provide opportunity for some spiritual refreshment alongside learning. This time the refreshment was in the invitation to think about my relationships with God, others, the world, and myself as spiritual. Obviously, I think of my relationship with God as spiritual. But adding in all those other ways that I am in relationshi

Hello friends, Since May, a friend and I have gathered at my house most Wednesdays to paint. We use an online acrylic painting lesson; we take turns providing lunch and often laugh as we work our way through whatever lesson was chosen for the week. Some of the paintings that I share in this newsletter were painted on these Wednesday afternoons. The photo I am sharing was taken upon completion of a lesson. I loved how much space each of us needed! Or, one could say we are a bi

Hello friends, While flying home from our vacation, I looked out my window just as we were flying over Lake Powell. I took the photo to...

Hello friends, This is just a quick note for you all as I am continuing my vacation. As you read this we will have gone from Spain to...

Dear Friends, This week I’m at the ELCA Systems Academy. My plan for the newsletter was to share some learning from this week, but quite...

Dear Friends, This week in bible study, we talked about how our actions are often more powerful than our words. This reminded me of a...

Dear Friends, A year ago this week we celebrated the arrival of our first grandchild. Today we gather with family and friends to...

Dear Friends, Happy Labor Day weekend! Or our traditional end of summer… which is a bit crazy since September and October are often...

Dear Friends, As many of you know, I like to paint as a hobby. For the past few months I’ve been gathering with a couple friends to do...

Dear Friends, This is a fund update from my March 22 nd  newsletter. In that newsletter I shared with you a letter that I wrote for a...

Dear Friends, This is my last post from the book, “Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: Tight and Loose Cultures and the Secret Signals that...

Dear Friends, I am continuing to read and share from the book, “Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: Tight and Loose Cultures and the Secret...

Dear Friends, This week I began a book titled, “Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: Tight and Loose Cultures and the Secret Signals that Direct...

Dear Friends, What a joy it was to celebrate ALC’s anniversary last week. I loved the stories that some of you shared. They told of a...

Dear Friends, This week the IRS decided that churches are able to endorse candidates for elections. Previously such an endorsement could...

Dear Friends, I hope you are all well this weekend. In times of tension, we can remember that even in the midst of trouble we can find...

Dear Friends, This week I was in Chicago for more learning about family and church systems. The work is inspiring, enlightening, and...

Dear Friends, I’ve shared a bit of my history in sermons, but that doesn’t mean that you all know (or remember) it. For as long as I can...