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Catching a new vision can be messy business. In Jesus’ case in John 9, it was a muddybusiness, that included literal dirt, bathing, and neighbors arguing. Do you ever get the sense that we are living this story?
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Being open to God’s vision can be something of an enigma for me. I don’t know about you, but I often start to dream, plan, pray about, and imagine how a certain thing might turn out.
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The March, 2023, bimonthly e-newsletter for ELCA congregational and synodical leaders is here, featuring: updated tax guides, Rostered Ministers Gathering early registration, ELCA Federal Credit Union ministry card, unemployment exemptions for churches, and how to keep your building safe from wayward vehicles.
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I can really sympathize with Samuel . He was called by God to anoint Saul as king over Israel, only Saul disobeyed God – and God decided to go another route. Reading 1 Samuel 15-16 over again, it doesn’t even seem like Samuel and Saul were good friends, and yet Samuel grieved that what was potentially going to be a good thing never panned out.
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Yvonne Shortt is an artist who uses grasses, clay, moss, and other natural materials to create beautiful sculptures of people’s heads. Slowly over time Yvonne began losing her eyesight because of a rare genetic disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Her story is part of a documentary called Adapt-Ability by filmmaker James Robinson which highlights how her limitations are really a gift to her art.
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The daffodils in the courtyard at the Synod Office started poking through the ground this week. Seems a little early to me, but these beautiful green shoots are just one more reminder that this world is bigger than this moment. It’s bigger than the war in Ukraine, it’s bigger than hateful legislation, hungry people struggling to get out of poverty, and my own brokenness.
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In Ghana, water scarcity threatens the lives and livelihoods of nearly 90% of the population. Even in urban areas, more than half the people lack access to clean, safe water. In developing countries such as Ghana, almost 80% of illnesses and deaths are caused by water-borne diseases, which in turn are driven by people needing to rely on unsafe water sources.
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Looking back over this week, we’ve asked questions like, “Is God with us or not?” We’ve wondered about where and how God shows up, as we look at sanctuaries that sit emptier than they used to be. We’ve wondered, what is the harvest God has in store for us? With whom can we share the story of Jesus’ selfless love and grace?
Read More![[re]imagine Lent: 3/12/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1678721255565-CXA61F33M04R0400VQTB/Screenshot+2023-03-13+at+8.25.50+AM+%282%29.png)
A modern day monologue version of the what the Woman at the Well said to Jesus (John 4:3-30).
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Do you remember who first told you about Jesus? Or, can you think of a recent experience where someone has told you about how the love of Jesus has transformed them?
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How do we go in peace to love and serve the Lord in civic life?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
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Have you ever moved into a house in the middle of winter? I have had occasion to do this and the spring and summer seasons turn into one big anticipatory waiting and watching – what will sprout and grow in the yard?
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I remember being at Glacier National Park as a teenager, and the awe I felt climbing to the top of the mountain, a valley of wildflowers and lake below, surrounded by even taller mountains, all sorts of wildlife, and a clear blue sky – it is one of the holiest places I’ve experienced.
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Just over two years ago, after decades of working, Susan became disabled. “I was newly poor and relatively terrified,” she wrote. “With literally everything stripped from the budget except a roof over our heads and very modest transportation, the monthly budget showed a balance of negative $5. The meaning of food insecurity became abundantly clear.”
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When Detroit Police Officer Marcus Harris II got a call to check in on an individual sleeping at an abandoned gas station, he found far more than he ever expected. At first, Corporal Harris went through the motions, offering the man, Adrian Hugh, a bus ticket back to California.
But after taking time to talk and get to know one another, Corporal Harris and Hugh realized that there was more they could do together than apart.
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Confession: mornings are not always my best time. And Sunday mornings, when I’m trying to get myself and my children up and moving, are especially not always my best. As much as I am loathe to admit it, there are many Sunday mornings when we finally get to the car after having yelled myself and my children there.
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These words are hitting differently this year as we reimagine faith. In fact, these verses are so well-known to those of us who have been Christians for any length of time, I wonder if their power has diminished for us. Or at the very least, if we have stopped getting curious about how they speak to our lives.
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Sometimes Paul can get so wordy, and the 4th and 5th chapters of Romans are prime examples of this! However, in this two-verse nugget, I was struck today by how my faith comes to me as a gift in part because of one person – Abraham – who trusted God’s unbelievable promise.
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The Lord will preserve you from all evil and will keep your life. The Lord will watch over your going out and you're coming in, from this time forth forevermore. —Psalm 121.7-8
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For the most part, living as we do in a wealthy country with virtually anything we could want within a click, it is easy to get lulled into a sense of self-reliance. In fact, self-reliance has become a value in our culture, as we hear of people living the American dream wherein they start with nothing and become anything they want to be through hard work and persistence.
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