Heavenly sounds, humble tool
Voices of Faith

Heavenly sounds, humble tool

“I relish the experience of playing for Sunday services,” said Natalia Paruz. That isn’t unusual coming from a Lutheran professional musician, but Paruz plays an unusual instrument—the musical saw. The…

Placeholder image
Living Faithfully

The liturgical calendar through stained-glass windows

It’s not unusual to have a calendar on a wall, but the one facing worshipers at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, Plymouth, Minn., is a colorful array of stained-glass windows outlining…

My faith journey: Holy conversations
Voices of Faith

My faith journey: Holy conversations

It was a Thursday afternoon after the leaves had turned color on the trees that punctuate the concrete plaza in front of the student union at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln….

Placeholder image
Living Faithfully

My take: Life that is really life

I was curled up in my assigned bed in the mental hospital—ready to go to sleep for the night—when a nurse came in to tell me I was pregnant. The…

Placeholder image
Voices of Faith

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

When I was a young seminary professor just starting out in teaching church history, I would often get some variation on the question “What’s a nice girl like you doing…

Placeholder image
Living Faithfully

Fearfully and wonderfully made

Years ago, I experienced adverse reactions to various foods I’d eaten. My doctor took months to pinpoint the issue, and I lost a good amount of weight in the process….

ELCA introduces 60-day gun violence resource
Living Faithfully

ELCA introduces 60-day gun violence resource

The ELCA has launched a resource, “A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence,” featuring daily observances that revolve around prayer, education and advocacy on gun violence….

Truth and lies
Voices of Faith

Truth and lies

During a sabbatical several years ago, I did research for what became a book on pastoral truth-telling and came across an intriguing idea authored by Sissela Bok, an ethicist and…

Advocacy in action
Mission & Ministry

Advocacy in action

The 2019 ELCA Advocacy Convening was held April 29–May 1 in Washington, D.C., gathering bishops and community leaders around the theme “Prepared to Care: Our Advocacy in Light of Disasters…