Words From Our Pastors

  Abide in Christ “Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in it there is no cause for stumbling.” 1st John 2 This is a great […]

  A Journey of Faith I spent the first 13 years of my life in the wonderful state of Minnesota. It was here that I was raised in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) tradition. My Irish dad came from a Pentecostal background and my Swedish/Norwegian mother from the ELCA. Most of my early Christian formation can be tied to Mount Olivet Lutheran Church and the bible lessons that I got from my parents. […]

Catholic or catholic Roughly a year ago I had someone come up to me and ask why we supported the Catholic Church in our Creed. They were curious because we had separated from the Roman Catholic Church back in 1517 with Martin Luther. Within this question there are several important tidbits that we have to remember when looking back at the history of Lutherans and Catholics. The importance of titles, the importance of theology, and […]

Come to the Table 4-8-2025 “Christ has planted his Table like an oasis along our pathway, in order that when we become weary with travel, weak and hungry in our souls, discouraged and wounded because of our false steps, stumbling, and falling, we may then enter there and be refreshed with the living Bread of Life.” Carl Olof Rosenius (1816-1868) There are many reasons for why someone will take on “fasting” as a practice in […]

  Resurrection Joy! “Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen.” – Mother Teresa, No Great Love As we trudge through Lent, oftentimes we are weighed down by the solemnity of the penitent season. Singing songs of Lament, preparing ourselves emotionally for the Holy Week, preparing ourselves for Christ’s crucifixion and death. Being reminded of our sins and how a steep price was paid for […]

A Cheerful Giver I’ve heard it said so many times, “All that church does is ask for money!” I saw a cartoon once with two men stranded on a tiny little island, with sharks swimming around it. One said, “Nobody will ever find us.” To which the other replies, “Don’t worry. I pledged $100,000 to my church; my pastor will find us.” Many are turned off by the mere suggestion of stewardship, as a sour […]

Stewardship Pr. Chris asked me to write a paragraph or two on stewardship for this newsletter. Oh, my! Have you ever known me to confine myself to a paragraph or two in print or conversation? The theme, I’m told, is sacrifice, a word that strikes nearly as much terror into the hearts of modern Christians as its synonym, “give,” a four-letter word that is never spoken in polite company. We understand the concept of “no […]

How I Began In my former life — that is when I lived life on the other side of the collar — I got a phone call from my Pastor. He informed me that he wanted to stop by my house that night for a stewardship visit. Stewardship, to me, was synonymous with money. My money. The money I earned and my church wanted to get hold of. My immediate reflex was to reach for […]

Titles: Part 1 Mother, Father, Sister, Friar As we journey through life we will all encounter pivotal moments that change and define our lives. In many of these life changes we encounter a new way of identifying ourselves. Son or Daughter when we are born, Husband or Wife when we get married, Doctor, Pastor, or Captain for jobs, Father or Mother when we become parents. These titles shift and grow with us as our lives […]

Titles: Part 2 Reverend vs Pastor To many these titles are synonymous. They can be used interchangeably along with Father or Priest. However, to some there is a slight difference between these two titles. My pastoral supervisor when I was on internship instilled the difference within me and I appreciate his perspective. He had drawn my attention to the fact that the title of Reverend is bestowed to those who have a masters degree of […]