Newsletter (Page 21)

Truth Telling

I’ve had this idea in my head for a few months now to put together some kind of “Leadership Lessons from the Lectionary” resource. I believe that the Bible is a great resource on leadership – if perhaps a different resource on leadership than what you might get in some business books or leadership podcasts.…

Starting Over…and Over

One of the more frustrating things about this year has been the sense of starting over. This stopped, so we did this instead – which was like starting over, often times from scratch. But then whatever that was stopped, and so we had to start over again. For me? That was starting online only church.…

What did you agree to?

Last Sunday we talked about what we agreed to, the things that we said that we would do and be. I brought up two instances where you may have agreed to things: your confirmation and your participation in a new member celebration here at University Lutheran. If you have been confirmed in a Lutheran church,…

Reentry

I’m coming back after some time away, and even though I still worked an average of almost 20 hours a week for church while I was “gone” there’s still some readjustment. A part of that readjustment means that things slip through the cracks, things aren’t planned for adequately, etc. This is “reentry”. Reentry is what…

Be Angry

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4 We’re angry. Or maybe we should be. …

The Sinful Lawnmower

Greetings from St. Louis! I’m up here on part two of my sabbatical experience taking care of some familial obligations. As a part of that, today I helped my parents mow the lawn. I suppose it’s what little I can do to earn my keep around here. I’m no stranger to lawnmowers. During the summer…

Doing Well

Most of us are doing ok. Some of us are doing terrible. But there are some who are doing really well.  This is the case all the time, but it is especially noticeable in a virus outbreak. We talk about what it would be like if we bought stock in Zoom before the virus. We…

Perfections through Confidence

While I’m in St. Louis on sabbatical, one of my primary goals is to learn about the assets and business of my family up here including several rental properties. One of those assets is a 1916 Chevrolet Pick Up truck. This truck was built on the body of a Chevrolet “490” vehicle, so named because…

What now?

We’re not back yet. But we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are wondering about a return. A return to…what? What now? Some things will pick up right where we left off in March. Some things aren’t going to ever be the same again. We’re asking questions about which…

Clay Pigeons and Sabbaticals

The now sainted John Prine sings a song entitled “Clay Pigeons,” which is actually a cover of a song written by a guy named Blaze Foley. In that song, Foley and Prine sing about a man who boards a Greyhound bus for a 2 to 3 day trip in order to put some healthy distance…