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Encounter on the Way
Introduction The people of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Neb., have organized a Spirit-Driven Task Force, bringing together almost three dozen members who have committed to a year of study, prayer, reflection, and deliberation to discern how God is calling the congregation to renewal for the sake of his mission. This is the…
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Life and Hope
Introduction The people of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Neb., have organized a Spirit-Driven Task Force, bringing together almost three dozen members who have committed to a year of study, prayer, reflection, and deliberation to discern how God is calling the congregation to renewal for the sake of his mission. This is the…
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Living in Newness of Life
Introduction The people of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Neb., have organized a Spirit-Driven Task Force, bringing together almost three dozen members who have committed to a year of study, prayer, reflection, and deliberation to discern how God is calling the congregation to renewal for the sake of his mission. This is the…
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“Stewards of God’s Mysteries”
This is the third in a series of reflections offered as part of my service with the Stewardship Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Neb., where Anne and I are members. When you hear the word “mystery,” what faces pop up in your mind’s eye? Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, the cast of…
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Like Rain
This is the second of a series of reflections I hope to offer as part of my service with the Stewardship Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Neb., where Anne and I are members. The grace of God pours down upon us like rain falling from the clouds. We cannot, with our…
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Don’t Forget the Bride
Pastor Lee Griess, Assistant to the Bishop,Nebraska Synod, ELCA, posted a column entry, “We Do Mission!” on one of the synod’s Web sites on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. In his column, he wrote: We have to begin doing church differently. We have to recapture the mission of the church, the mission of God found in…
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“We Offer with Joy and Thanksgiving…!”
This is the first of a series of reflections I hope to offer as part of my service with the Stewardship Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Neb., where Anne and I are members. One of the fond memories I have of the times I spent with my grandfather was “helping” him…
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Mary’s Song of Reversals
Introduction The Congregation Council at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., where I am serving as interim pastor, opens its monthly meetings with devotions. These are the thoughts for the December 2010 meeting. The Magnificat is the Psalmody appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent, Dec. 12, 2010. The council read it antiphonally in choirs.…
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In the Meantime: For Now
Introduction This article is the December 2010 installment of my monthly message in the parish newsletter for Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb. Message For Now Words have a funny way of sharing just a bit of themselves now…and then waiting for the right time…and then revealing a little more of the truth they hold…
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Praising, Proclaiming, and Pondering the Lord
Introduction The Congregation Council at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., where I am serving as interim pastor, opens its monthly meetings with devotions. These are the thoughts for the November 2010 meeting. The Psalm is the one appointed for the Thankoffering Service of the Women of the ELCA, which we’re observing the weekend of…