Stories, reflections and perspectives from diverse range of voices across the ELCA.
Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Overland Park, Kan. Executive chef and co-founder, Buck Tui BBQ; executive chef, Muni I connected with Holy Cross before my wedding in 2005. I was raised…
Thomas Maltman’s latest novel, Ashes to Ashes (Soho Press, 2025), largely takes place against the backdrop of a Lutheran congregation. Maltman—whose spouse, Melissa, is pastor of Servant of Christ Lutheran Church…
Theologian Marvin E. Wickware Jr.’s research addresses the intersections of identity, emotions, politics and theology. But he came to write Loving Through Enmity: Healing the Broken Heart of Christian Antiracist…
Martin Luther’s assessment that we as God’s people are simultaneously sinners and saints has sometimes rankled. Nonetheless, the older I become, the more I acknowledge Luther’s honest insight—and my own…
Living Lutheran spoke with Joe Davis about the ways art can inspire communities and motivate action toward the liberation and well-being of others. This video is Part 2 of that…
St. James Lutheran Church, Portland, Ore. Professor emeritus of medicine and retired head of General Cardiology, Oregon Health and Science University; marathon runner I’m named after my grandfather, David Ruotsalainen,…
One blustery Ash Wednesday, some pastor colleagues and I went downtown to distribute “ashes on the go.” We spread on sidewalks that ran along towering office buildings and bustling restaurants, dressed in clergy wear…
The timbre of my voice rumbles at the back of my throat, and my mouth opens as a roar of laughter fills the space. Laughter is good for the soul….
You are dust and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19). Atoms in our bodies trace to the remnants of exploded stars. We are stardust. We are alive in the universe. And the…
My mother had the most sumptuous deep dark chocolate skin, full lips, large African nose and big beautiful eyes. She had a unique sense of style and a calming way…
Do you have an idea for Living Lutheran’s next great story? Let me show you another new feature on livinglutheran.org. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the website…
Joe Davis sat down with Living Lutheran to share how the work he does as an artist shows up in healing spaces. Watch for part 2 of “Art as a…
In November, thanks to support from the Service and Justice unit’s Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities, I was one of 11 delegates to the second All Africa Youth Congress,…
Connecting with siblings in Christ and neighbors is more than finding friends. (Though that’s important!) The intentionality of building community and maintaining social connection is part of our Lutheran calling….
You have attempted to access a feature of this website that is only available to members of livinglutheran.org.
A free membership gives you a customized dashboard for curated content based on your interest, the ability to like and save articles, an optional subscription to a weekly email digest “LL Stories”, and more.
Already have an account? log in
If you are a subscriber to the LL Stories email digest from before the introduction of the new website in December 2025, your account is intact, but your password will need to be reset unless you have a login for another ELCA website.
If you have a login for another ELCA website like community.elca.org, directory.elca.org or others you can use the password associated with that login.
Logout
