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Voices of Faith

My take: The great value of a pastor’s divided attention

There is an undercurrent at the pastor’s book launch (or community-garden opening or when she flies to present another workshop). A raised eyebrow, some crossed arms or whispered questions shake…

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Spiritual Resources

In praise of repetition in worship

Editor’s note: Our June cover story, “Worship 101,” examined the “whats, whys and hows” of ELCA worship. We now continue the story as a monthly online series further exploring what Lutheran worship is, how…

The core issue: How we interpret the Bible
Voices of Faith

The core issue: How we interpret the Bible

Editor’s note: In this five–part series, former ELCA Presiding Bishop Herbert Chilstrom examines the authority and interpretation of the Bible. Part four explored biblical contextualization throughout church history. Whenever the church…

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Voices of Faith

Lutherans build bridges in America

I’d spent most of my time with Southern Baptists and Pentecostals by the time I was ready to visit Appalachia and central Pennsylvania, bound for the fabled green hills that…

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Voices of Faith

Bent

In the Gospel for the last Sunday of August (Luke 13:10-17), Jesus rebukes temple leaders who question him for healing a woman who had endured a bent posture for 18…

“God is present  every day”
Voices of Faith

“God is present every day”

Walking and greeting everyone she passes with a heartfelt “Good morning,” Jennifer Ginn regularly exercises not only her body but also her soul.  “I meet God on the track at…

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Faith in Action

Perspective: Scraped floors, open doors

Editor’s note: This month marks the 10th anniversary of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly’s vote to remove barriers to ordination for people in same-gender marriages. Here, Emmy Kegler reflects on…

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Voices of Faith

Will work for food

I was hiking in a hard rain one August afternoon with our youth backpacking contingent. We were raising money for ELCA World Hunger. Everything was soaked; you could wring out…

Three spiritual lessons from journaling
Spiritual Resources

Three spiritual lessons from journaling

My home is filled with journals. You’ll find them tucked into a drawer in my writing desk, lined on office shelves and stored in plastic boxes. Their pages recount my…

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Voices of Faith

Perspective: Toll-booth evangelism

During seminary, the best summer job I had was collecting tolls on a bridge across the Mississippi River. Not quite the call of Matthew at the tax booth (Matthew 9:9),…

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Voices of Faith

How my church found me

When my 92-year-old mother moved in with me, I knew I had to find a different church. I attended a megachurch with clapping and dancing. Mom preferred a smaller, more…