RSVP – it stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît,” a command that says (nicely), “Please respond.” Throughout the season of Epiphany (starting January 6 and ending this year on February 17), we will be using those four French words as the unifying principle of what we’re talking about in worship and beyond. The idea of…
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Church Blog (Page 2)
Almost is a funny word. It’s one of those “glass half full/half empty” things. Almost can mean “oh, it’s almost here….but not yet (pout, pout)” or it can mean “IT’S ALMOST HERE!!! (running around the room in joyous energy). Almost can mean, “oh, you almost got it (the grade, the promotion, the spot on the…
Growing up as a little boy, I was culturally conditioned against the color pink. That was for girls. It was not for me. I remember one time my grandmother bought me a pink shirt, and when my parents told me I had to wear it – I felt like they might as well had told…
We all piled into the van. We pulled out of the driveway and someone asked if the radio could be turned on. The van is almost always set at 88.1, the Christian music station, partially because it’s just simpler not having to worry about having to explain Sabrina Carpenter’s lyrics to the kids. The radio…
One Wednesday a month, my daughters’ school hosts this thing called “All Pro Dads”. When we get together, we talk about something that I would call a “virtue”. In the past we have talked about compassion, resilience, consistency, and other things. Today we talked about “Determination”. As we talked about this virtue, I started to…
This coming Sunday at University Lutheran, we’re going to be installing new members. These are folks that have been with us for different amounts of time, but definitely since our last new member celebration. The way it normally happens is that I notice that someone has been coming to worship pretty regularly. When I notice…
This past weekend was Halloween weekend. This holiday has had an interesting history with the Christian Church. While the origins of the holiday seem to be mostly Christian in nature, there have been grace concerns over the celebrations in our history. Depending on who you listen to, traditions like dressing up in costumes or going…
Kids have a thing at school. Van needs to go to this repair shop, no wait, now that repair shop. Zoom meeting that runs a little long. Call from a family member. To do list. Exercise? Online distraction. Change in plans. Lunch may have to wait. Fantasies about that thing that you actually wanted to…
I don’t often shop at Aldi, but when I do, I notice that there is something about the store that is different from other grocery stores – and that is the relative lack of choice. That isn’t to say that there are no choices given at Aldi, but refreshingly, there is not an overabundance of…
I read a short article the other day about a new phenomena happening amongst people that can pay for it: the anesthetized tattoo. There’s a shop in Miami (and it seems a few others across the country) that specialize in tattooing people that have been completely put under medical anesthesia. As someone who has a…