For My Friends Fun for Fun’s Sake 20 Nov 202419 Nov 2024 By Deanna Rossow I recently attended a seminar on “Play as a Spiritual Practice.” Heidi Goehmann helped us explore the definition of play as something that we do by our…
Cultural Studies Thou with a capital T 24 Jul 202424 Jul 2024 By Conrad Gempf I don’t think it’s all in my head; I think some of the language of worship has changed since I was little. I feel like we say Holy…
For My Friends What’s the Forecast? 9 Jul 20249 Jul 2024 By Deanna Rossow Today is our HUGE Family Celebration of the Fourth of July at the lake! Most every outdoor activity imaginable is planned for today: Swimming, Bean Bag Toss,…
For My Friends… Scarred Perfection 15 May 202415 May 2024 From a Fellow Traveler This week marks the end of my wife’s chemo treatment. Four months and eight cycles in total. The last couple rounds were tough on her. It…
Exegetical Study Nathanael and Nothin’ 13 May 202413 May 2024 By Conrad Gempf The Gospels have a lot of stories about disciples who were called when they were out fishing. Another was in the middle of collecting taxes. But John…
For My Friends… It’s Getting Dark 27 Mar 202427 Mar 2024 From a Fellow Traveler It's starting to get dark. The light through my window isn’t enough to work by so I flip on the desk lamp. My wife is resting…
For My Friends… The Valley of Lent 23 Feb 202420 Mar 2024 From a Fellow Traveler I am no fan of Lent. The songs are depressing. The message is grim. It’s so bad, even the word Alleluia doesn’t want to go to…
For My Friends C is for Cookie 19 Jan 202412 Feb 2024 From a Fellow Traveler As a kid of the 80s, I watched my fair share of Sesame Street. Without a doubt, my favorite character was Cookie Monster. I found him…
For My Friends Grateful for the Lightkeepers 7 Jan 202415 Mar 2024 From a Fellow Traveler As a kid at summer camp, This Little Light of Mine always seemed like a happy song to me. It was a song of strength and…
For My Friends The With of Christmas 23 Dec 202312 Feb 2024 From a Fellow Traveler “Let me know what we can do for you.” When you have cancer, you hear that a lot. You hear it from coworkers and family members,…
For My Friends Prayers from a Santa 28 Nov 202312 Feb 2024 From a Fellow Traveler Today marks the start of Week 4 in the chemoradiation phase of my wife’s cancer treatment. It’s getting hard. The physical pain is difficult, of course; but…
Disciple LIke You Mean It… Sunday, FUN day?? 10 Nov 20238 Jul 2024 By a member of the Disciple Like You Mean It online training. I was scared and excited at the same time! That’s how it usually goes for me when I…
For My Friends Facing the Simul of Cancer 7 Nov 202312 Feb 2024 From a Fellow Traveler As All Saints' Day rolls by I imagine a few folks might have heard preaching about being both saint and sinner at the same time. If…
For My Friends Prayers from My Little Girl 19 Oct 20238 Jul 2024 From a Fellow Traveler Yesterday, my wife and I had one of the most emotional experiences of our lives. We had to tell our 10- and 7-year-old that my wife…
Disciple LIke You Mean It… Jesus and Uncle Art’s Bean Casserole 2 Oct 20233 Nov 2023 By a member of the Disciple Like You Mean It online training. Very rarely—I can say almost never—do I ever sign up to take a meal to someone who has…
Discipling Leaders… Secure Humility 18 Apr 202315 Nov 2023 By Sam Fink Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he…
For My Friends Bottled Up 20 Feb 20238 Jul 2024 From a Fellow Traveler For a spirit to be defined as bourbon, it must meet five very specific criteria: it must be made in the United States; aging has to…
Exegetical Study What Then is This Child Going to Be? 6 Dec 20226 Dec 2022 By Conrad Gempf Zechariah and Elizabeth are excited about their child. And for good reason: the events surrounding John’s birth amazed everyone who heard about it! All the neighbors were…
