Hello from the resting places of my heritage, When I grew up, there were things my father did like clockwork, from the time we went to bed and the time he rose to Saturday afternoons or evenings to how we prepared for or celebrated holidays. He was a focused, but nonetheless seemed laid back; heContinue reading “Grace, Virginia, Greenlawn, and Ridgelawn”
Tag Archives: #religion
When Decisions are Difficult . . .
Hello from Pennsylvania, the state that seems to hold on to me, I have noted that moving into the era of retirement is not what I expected, but the multiple levels that this statement has rung true is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It’s taken the better part of 18 months to feelContinue reading “When Decisions are Difficult . . .”
Why Respect Matters
Hello from the diner, When I come to the diner today, I remember how this family establishment has become part of the collective memory of my time in Bloomsburg. There was a period where I was here most every morning and names like Dave, Doug, or Father Fennessy, seated at the left counter as youContinue reading “Why Respect Matters”
“The Road Not Taken”
Hello on the first of June, As noted by my father regularly, time will begin to seemingly pass by more rapidly. Of the many wise things, truthful things he said, this one might be the more accurate. At least, that seems to be the case as I consider how we got to the first ofContinue reading ““The Road Not Taken””
To Lament or To Learn
Hello from the micro-acre, The summer I did my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at St. Luke’s in my hometown of Sioux City, there was a lot on my plate. I had been diagnosed with what then was determined to be Ulcerative Colitis, I was on leave from the seminary, was planning a wedding at theContinue reading “To Lament or To Learn”
Where Do We Find You?
Hello from Bloomsburg, It’s Friday, and it’s been a week of extremes when it comes to what I was planning for and what I was not. It began with the Memorial Day, and I was fortunate to attend the commemoration of veterans at one of the most well-kept of area cemeteries. The event was nicelyContinue reading “Where Do We Find You?”
Not Merely Called, but Being Called For and To
Hello on a the last few days of May, The last day of May is a significant day in my lifetime. It is the day I graduated from high school as well as the day I was confirmed by the Rev. T. P. Solem, the interim pastor we had between the pastor I remember asContinue reading “Not Merely Called, but Being Called For and To”
The Dangers of Faithfulness
Hello from Pennsylvania, and the hope that spring will still arrive, I, as former pastor, a life-long Lutheran, somewhat a Bonhoeffer scholar, and a person who believes deeply in the power of the sacraments, placing the word dangers and faithfulness as something consequential of the other might seem confusing. And yet let me begin here:Continue reading “The Dangers of Faithfulness”
Taking Cover, but Never Ducking
Hello from the still transforming space, As of late I have ponder those things in life that give me some sense of pride, not in an arrogant manner, more perhaps more in a resilient way. As I have found myself on the other side of a daily requirement of working in some “you are requiredContinue reading “Taking Cover, but Never Ducking”
Understanding How and Why
Hello on a day of taxes, unexpected events and unsure of what next. The afternoon will be taxes. it’s been a morning of meeting a large truck with the back of the Beetle, no real damage to the truck, and something quite different for the bug. Dinner tonight with a former colleague and feeling likeContinue reading “Understanding How and Why”
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