What then shall we do? “10% of life is what happens to you,” I remember my 7th grade science teacher telling me. “And 90% is how you respond to it.” I am not so sure what kind of statistical tool my science teacher used to get to those percentages, but...
Sheeple (What are sheep like in popular culture) In preparation for today’s sermon, I was doing some digging on different cultural understandings of lambs. I found this movie called “Silence of the lambs,” but was disappointed to find that there were no lambs in it. More recently in pop culture...
Anna: Nurturing Connection with God Luke 2:22-38 I have always liked the story of Anna, partly because I am sort of named for her. There are other reasons my name is Anne – I had a great aunt named Anne Marie and my mom loved Anne of Green Gables, which...
Good morning! It is so good to be with you all—to worship with you on this first Sunday of Advent. I’m honored that you are using Expecting Emmanuel, the devotional I wrote, as I guide in this season, and I’m excited to join you this morning as we begin the...
Fun to be tied to importance, and to a larger story It’s fun to be connected to people of “importance.” And we like telling those stories if we have them. There is a reason why the term “name dropping” exists. And if you are unfamiliar, the urban dictionary defines name-dropping...
Elisabeth von Wolkenstien of Uttenhiem was of famous Tyrolean Nobility. Tyrol, which is now a western state in Austria, was an active location for the early Anabaptist movement in the 16th century. Elisabeth was a mother of a daughter and 3 sons and was married to the crown administrator of...
You know those crosswalk signs with increased accessibility? The ones that say, “Wait.” “Wait.” “Wait.” Wait till it’s clear. Wait till it’s green. Wait till you are older. Wait till tomorrow. Wait till the afternoon. Wait until you’re my age. Wait until you’re 18. Wait until you are married. Wait...
Origins of ABBA In April of 1970, remember that date, two Swedish couples went on vacation together in Cyprus. According to Wikipedia, what started as singing for fun on the beach ended up as an improvised live performance in front of the United Nations soldiers stationed on the island. From...
