“You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family,” says the old adage, implying that we are simply stuck with whatever oddball characters who comprise our families of…
Focal verse Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. —Psalm 106:1 Reflection I heard the stomping of feet…
Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer for the day from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life…
When I was 10, I came to the dinner table one night to find my family’s special red plate at my usual seat. I smiled wide. I had told my…
Editor’s note: In keeping with this month’s theme issue, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton is sharing her favorite food and faith story, which originally appeared in her September 2017 column. Old…
One of my greatest faith lessons came from failing at youth sports. I sat on the bench for four years. Four years! I tried my best, gave it everything I…
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Charles, Ill. Children’s book author I started exploring church in college. I remember feeling incredibly awkward—not knowing the routine, having no sense of what was happening when…
When the COVID-19 lockdown began in March and most ELCA congregations moved to virtual services, the St. Luke Lutheran Church and Christian Day School community in Silver Spring, Md., felt…
Focal verse For you are my refuge,a strong tower against the enemy.Let me abide in your tent forever,find refuge under the shelter of your wings.–Psalm 61:3-4 Reflection “Watch St. Paul’s…
When my family left Jerusalem in January 2020 to begin a new chapter in global service, we had no idea that we’d be thrust into a worldwide pandemic and separated…
Like many new parents, I constantly heard the refrain “They grow up so fast” when my children were babies. Parents say this, of course, because it’s true. In the blink…
Focal verse “Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray” (Proverbs 22:6). Reflection Next to bookshelves in our living room lies a pile of items:…
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