It is amazing to me how often I have people tell me that someone said to them, "I just don't agree with Pastor Erik's opinion on Halloween." I find it interesting that they don't actually talk to me about it, though. If you can actually - really - read the entire blog post below (all … Continue reading It’s Time, Once Again, To Post This Halloween Notice On the Church Door
I wrote this article for a local publication, and after some weird edit choices by them, it ran. For those who enjoyed it, here it is in its full, unedited, original brilliance... Lately, my mailbox has been overflowing, not so much with bills, but with political flyers. You’re getting them too, right? The ones that … Continue reading A Christian Voter’s Guide
I want to thank so many of you for reaching out to let me know how much you miss reading my posts. I know it's been a long time since I've posted. It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's just hard to know what to say and how to say it these … Continue reading Back to It
I’m on vacation this week. Lent was a long and challenging six weeks, broken up by some tremendous worship services. It was time to shut off for a while. Time alone. Time with God. Time with my family. No schedules, no email, no appointments. Time outside. Time reading a book for fun. Staying up too … Continue reading Away.
I have a cross in the back of my head. It's true - for better or worse - my "bald spot," where my hair is most thin on the back of my head, is in the shape of a cross. I don't know why my hair does that - frankly, I think it's weird. But … Continue reading In the Cross Hairs
*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
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
Yes, I am a Lutheran Pastor. Yes, I am an adult. And yes, I believe in Santa Claus. I know of a great many Lutheran Pastors who love to get their Grinch on by criticizing, making fun of or outright scorning the right jolly old elf, but I say this is due to their hearts … Continue reading Redeeming Santa Claus
Honest Musings from a Regular Guy... Who Also Happens to Be a Lutheran Pastor 