See that beautifully manicured mullet up there? Yep, that's me, about a month after my 14th birthday and finishing the 8th grade. It's my confirmation photo. If you weren't raised Catholic or Lutheran, you may have no idea what confirmation is. So let me try and explain it - from the Lutheran perspective. For many … Continue reading Why Do We Do That: Confirmation
When all hell is breaking loose around us, silence is sin. And yet, what do you say - and how do you say it? I may not know the whole path, but I can at least take a first step. Here is my prayer from worship this past Sunday: Father, (we pray for) the situation … Continue reading A Prayer for Our Country
*NOTE: This is a re-post of an earlier entry, originally published on Memorial Day two years ago. And even though many of us can't "go" to church, we can worship online, and the same principles still apply. Today, we set aside a national holiday to remember all those who have died either while serving our … Continue reading Paying the Price
Warning: rant coming. I don't like it very much when people take themselves too seriously. I like to keep things light and make people laugh, and sometimes you have to let yourself get choked up by a cheesy commercial on television, or cry outright at a Disney cartoon. When people complain about these types of … Continue reading Dear Sports: We’re Not Falling For It
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light … Continue reading Creation and Evolution
There is a phrase often repeated (and wrongly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi) that goes something like this, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” The purpose of this well-liked phrase is to remind Christians to let their actions speak for themselves, and to say more about love than anything … Continue reading Use Your Words
As we continue to navigate this new, coronavirus-initiated, shelter-in-place world, many of us are attending worship services online. While this new method of 'gathering' in front of a computer or television screen for worship via livestream, Facebook Live, YouTube and other platforms certainly has its challenges, I thought I would give you a peek at … Continue reading Worship On the Other Side of the Screen
As this coronavirus thing wears on with all of its social distancing and all-too-real statistics, I continue to see people posting things on social media attacking those who do things differently, with absolute confidence that "those people" are wrong enough to be personally insulted. And I see a whole lot of it coming from Christians, … Continue reading We Can Do Better
I love the truth. I am a philosopher and a theologian at heart, which means I love to ask questions, I love to learn about the history of things, and I love to know why we do the things we do. What that often means is that I have to reshape my way of thinking … Continue reading No, Easter Was Not Stolen From Pagans
In spite of the fact that we are not able to gather in person to observe it, the Season of Lent nevertheless concludes this week in what is known as Holy Week. Holy Week has been observed since the earliest days of the Church, and reflects what is known as Christ's Passion, or suffering, on … Continue reading Why Do We Do That: Holy Week
