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Warm-up Question What are the qualities you look for in a leader? Why do those attributes matter to you? Why Did You Get Into This? Through the United States of America, we are in the midst of election season. From local trustees to state representatives to the President of the United States, many leadership positions will be decided on November 5. If you’re of voting age, make a plan to vote! Even if you’re not, engage in the process. Learn about the candidates and issues at hand. Research deeper than just soundbites and slogans. One of the questions I always…

I put together the following some time ago, and only had it saved as a draft here on the blog. I thought I would publish it now. I actually don’t even recall who my interlocutor is anymore; maybe he’ll see this and remind me. I shared the following passage on Facebook and X, from John Baillie, as cited by TF Torrance in his book: Theological Science. The fact is that no true knowledge, no valid act of perceiving or thinking, can be explained by beginning from the human end—whether it be my perception of the number of peas in a…

Warm-up Question Tell a story about when you were genuinely surprised. Maybe you learned something shocking or experienced a surprise party. How did being surprised impact you? Left Behind in Paradise Another hurricane is coming. Even as parts of the country from Florida’s panhandle to the Appalachian mountains try to clean up from Hurricane Helene, younger sibling Hurricane Milton is already threatening life with similar ferocity. Those of us who live further away might think of these vacation destinations as wealth centers. Massive beach houses on the coast to log mansions on the Blue Ridge Parkway are annually rented by…

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981. Youth musicians are invited to Lutheran Summer Music Enrollment for LSM 2025 is open now! Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is a faith-based residential music academy for high school students who come together to immerse themselves in musical excellence and build a supportive and fun…

Who is Israel? Is the Church, Israel now? Are there still ethnic Jews? My response will be brief, but hopefully to a point. Israel in the Bible are Yahweh’s chosen, covenant people. Israel in the Bible was chosen by God to be the people He vocationally used to mediate the Messiah to the world through; through the seed of the woman, Mary. This “election” had a special promise tied into it: i.e., that the ethnic Jew would always be tied into the promises and gifts of the living God. According to the Apostle this entails that ‘all Israel,’ all of…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   A special note about prayer resources this week: In this anniversary week of Oct. 7, 2023, we remember a…

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available. UN | COLORADO | MINNESOTA | PENNSYLVANIA | WISCONSIN   U.N. Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc Christine Mangale, Director International Tax Cooperation: The United Nations adopted terms of reference on International Tax Cooperation in August, despite opposition by the United States and other developed Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The terms of reference (ToR) are the…

Death, just like life, in the secular and pagan realm, but even in the Christian realm, insofar as the latter mirrors the former—and it does at ubiquitous levels—is thought of in abstract and wondrous terms; indeed, in fearful terms. But for the Christian all things have been resurrected; including our dead bodies. We are now of the ‘firstborn from the dead,’ Jesus Christ. But this is to the point: when we contemplate our own mortality, which most of us attempt to hideaway from, most of us conjure some type of ethereal somethingness “out there,” that doesn’t seem real to us….

Warm-up Question When is the last time you asked a child their opinion about something related to faith? Is that more or less often than talking to teens or adults about religious perspectives? Why is that? Kids Talk. Do We Listen?  If you haven’t yet discovered research from the Springtide Institute, it’s well worth your time. They spend much time researching Gen Alpha (born after 2010 or so), as well as Gen Z (who are now all in high school or older). The research often focuses on issues of mental health and religious belief, among other things. Newsweek summarized a…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   A special note about prayer resources this week: As we approach the anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, we remember…