Happy Advent! In this season of expectant waiting, here is a riddle for you: This thing all things devours:Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;Gnaws iron, bites steel;Grinds hard stones to meal;Slays king, ruins town,And beats high mountain down. So spoke Gollum to Bilbo...
Election day: November 5, 2024. I woke up early this morning and could not get back to sleep. The polls have yet to open. All I wanted to do this morning was write about the clear choice in this election. But that is not where this is going. Disagreeing with those I...
Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know. Be still. Be. If you’ve been in ministry for any appreciable length of time, you have likely used this devotional technique using Psalm 46 as a way to center a group. I used it recently in a group discussing general...
I looked out through the tree branches and stifled a laugh building deep in my belly. It was late October in Wisconsin, and I was fifteen feet up in a tree stand. The first snow of the season was slowly accumulating on the leaf-covered ground. The sight was...
We're honored to share this article from Word and World on, Luther Seminary’s quarterly journal of theology, in which Dr. Jake Sorenson and Dr. Rollie Martinson share findings from the Camp and Church Leadership Project and why they matter in theological perspective....
The Age of Authenticity is in full swing. The highest moral good has become reduced to a simple maxim: be yourself. At face-value, this is not a bad thing. Far from it. We want people to discover their God-given gifts (1 Corinthians 12). We want them to know that they...
Let’s get something straight: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” is not in the Bible. (All the camp directors give a collective sigh of relief.) We love building nice-looking church buildings “for the glory of God.” We hang beautiful artwork, ensure the communion wear...
Happy New Year! I love preaching on the first Sunday in Advent because I can always greet the congregation with those delightfully provocative words. For churches that follow the liturgical calendar, Advent started this week and spans the four Sundays leading up to...
We have another historic first: President Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States. If confirmed, she will be the first black woman to sit on the court. I applaud this move toward greater diversity and representation. I...
The simplest and the greatest joy: time together with loved ones. This blessing was mine on Thanksgiving Day. We had not been together for two years, but there we were: gathered around a single table. Both of my parents were there. Both of my brothers were there,...
There is a blessed rhythm to the liturgical calendar. It compels us to remember, retell, and reenact. Even the most anti-liturgical Evangelicals on the one hand and the secular Christians on the other cannot avoid the annual rhythm of liturgy. The Christmas and Easter...
Christian Summer Camp in Theological Perspective A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary Christian camping ministry is a vibrant and well-established form of ministry in the church, but it has received shockingly little scholarly attention. Supporters and...
This quick, impactful read lays foundation for effective outdoor ministry. Sacred Playgrounds explores the wisdom of camping ministry for Christian education and faith formation, examining its rich history and fundamental characteristics with compelling stories, groundbreaking research, and theological grounding.
