November Newsletter Article

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for his is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When is it easiest to be thankful? When things are going good, right? While it might be easier to praise God when you are most happy and comfortable, it is just as important, if not more so, to thank God when things are not so good.

In the verse above, Paul tells the church to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. This

...
read more

October Newsletter Article

It’s October! The leaves are falling, the temperatures are dropping, and the colors of our lives are fading from bright green grasses, blue skies, and white hot sun to the golds, browns, oranges, and yellows of leaves, ciders, fall sports, and warm sweaters.

When this time of the year rolls around, I often get asked about Halloween and whether it’s “Christian” to celebrate such a macabre holiday. And my answer is yes, Halloween is just fine for Christians to enjoy. Especial

...
read more

September Newsletter Article

Return to the Lord Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. (Joel 2:13) 

  

Summer is soon coming to an end. Time to close up the cabins, come back from vacation, put our gardens to bed, say goodbye to the sunshine, and hello to cooler breezes and winter snows. The month of September often means a “return” to many things. Children and parents return to a regular school-year routine. The Silver Lake Loon goe

...
read more

August Newsletter Article

“I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.” Ephesians 3:19This July, I had the privilege to take 4 youth to the Synod Journey Youth Gathering for a 4-day/3-night whirlwind of fun and games, bible study, fellowship, and worship. Throughout the weekend we talked and sang and prayed all about how God’s love is BOUNDLESS. Through God’s invitation, creation, forgiveness, and prom...
read more

July Newsletter Article

Have you ever considered that the way you worship God the best might not be the same as the person who sits next to you in the pew? Some of us connect with God most genuinely in nature, some of us through song or art, some of us through tradition and ritual, some through quiet contemplation, and some through fervent action. This summer I will be leading us through a Sermon Series and Book Study based on the book “Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect with God” by Gary Thom...
read more

June Newsletter Article

Have you ever considered that the way you worship God the best might not be the same as the person who sits next to you in the pew? Some of us connect with God most genuinely in nature, some of us through song or art, some of us through tradition and ritual, some through quiet contemplation, and some through fervent action. This summer I will be leading us through a Sermon Series and Book Study based on the book “Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect with God” by Gary Thom...
read more

May Newsletter Article

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” Luke 12:27Dear church,As I prepare this reflection in the last week of April, we have still been experiencing near-freezing temperatures and daily snow flurries! Nevertheless, this verse keeps running through my mind, helping me to have hope for the spring flowers that will eventually grow and bloom.I love taking photos of flowe...
read more

April Newsletter Article

Dear Church,

This month, half in Lent and half in Easter, I want you to remember to observe and honor both sides of Easter. The waiting and grief of Holy Saturday, when the disciples did not know for sure that resurrection was coming, and the joy and possibility of the Easter Season, when Christ walked the earth again before he ascended into heaven. So here are two poems by Meta Herrick Carlson that capture those two moods. May they bless your hearts as they have blessed mi

...
read more

March Newsletter Article

Winter is hard. It doesn’t matter if you grew up walking to school barefoot, uphill both ways, carrying your sister, through 3 feet of snow and you’ve developed effective strategies for staying warm in below-zero temperatures and have sturdy boots to deal with deep snowdrifts. Even if you are someone who enjoys outdoor winter sports and snow activities, every winter at about mid-February or early March, a lot of us are DONE with it. Winter has lasted too long. Bring on the...
read more

February Newsletter Article

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:8-9 I feel like this blessing speaks to the long, Northern Minnesota winter so deeply. In the ...
read more

January Newsletter Article

“and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.“ ~Matthew 2:9b-10On Epiphany, we remember the story of the Magi following the star to Bethlehem to see the Christ child. They notice it in the sky and are guided by its light to the Holy Family. The arrival of the Magi symbolizes the inclusion of all people of the world into ...
read more

December Newsletter Article

A Different Kind of Christmas LetterEveryone enjoys hearing from friends and extended family members who care enough to send holiday greetings. But the kind of Christmas letters that many people send – so sugarcoated that they may as well be cookies – sometimes can become repetitive and don’t actually communicate how God has been active in their lives and the message of Christmas itself.Usually, people write things like: John won an award at work and Susan volunteers at ou...
read more

November Newsletter Article

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18When is it easiest to be thankful? When things are going good, right? While it might be easier to praise God when you are most happy and comfortable, it is just as important, if not more important, to thank God when things are not so good. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to rejoice always and give thanks in...
read more

October Newsletter Article

A Way to Go by Frederick Ohler

God of unceasing change

hear the gasps of those who are

stuck

trapped

addicted

perpetually adolescent

prematurely resigned

thinking that it will never get any better

clearer

or gentler for them.

Whisper…

thunder!

But do get through to them with the saving word

that persons need not stay the way they are.

  

Hear also the anxious, unspoken fears

of those who are productive

successful

comfortable

finding satisfaction in their work

pleasure in life

love at home

You in

...
read more

September Newsletter Article

4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith;7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. ~ Romans 12:4-8

As fall app

...
read more