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Voices of Faith

My take: Healthy masculinity and sharing emotions

While reading the article “God’s vision for a healthy masculinity,” I appreciated the writer’s intentionality with his son and his suggestions for raising boys with a healthier masculinity through awareness…

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Voices of Faith

Dear Mike: A letter to my brother

Editor’s note: In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week, we’re running several posts related to suicide prevention and how nothing can separate us from the love of God. Stacey Nalean-Carlson…

Perspective: A God who loves beyond measure
Voices of Faith

Perspective: A God who loves beyond measure

Editor’s note: In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week, we’re running several posts related to suicide prevention and how nothing can separate us from the love of God. When I…

First call excitement
Voices of Faith

First call excitement

This summer, I started my call as pastor redeveloper of St. Philip Lutheran Church in Trenton, Mich. Even though I was officially starting my first call, I had already built…

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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…

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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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…

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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),…