Cultural Studies Great (and Not-So-Great) Expectations 17 Aug 2022 By Ted Hopkins Expectations are a funny beast. On vacation this summer, we ate at a restaurant that was a bit sketchy when we first walked in. They had open…
Cultural Studies… Mary and Martha, GPA or GPS? 28 Jul 2022 By Justin Rossow (with Valerie Matyas) A couple of weeks ago, I got to lead a Next Step workshop at a congregation outside Buffalo, New York. As part of the…
Cultural Studies… Take My Moments and My Days 8 Jun 20228 Jun 2022 By Katie Helmreich My alarm went off at 5:50 this morning. I hit snooze a few times, but then I remembered today's the day I'd arranged to swap kid-free hours…
Cultural Studies… Helpless Waiting 2 May 20222 May 2022 By Justin Rossow This Easter I was struck by a detail I don’t remember seeing before. In fact, I didn’t even see it this year until my second or third…
Cultural Studies… Change? Who Said Anything about Change? 26 Apr 202226 Apr 2022 By Ted Hopkins Almost every Lutheran knows the old joke about how many Lutherans it takes to change a light bulb. “Change? Who said anything about change?” After an initial…
Cultural Studies… Getting to the Heart of the Matter 25 Feb 202225 Feb 2022 By Justin Rossow I recently heard my good friends Steve and Jamie from Breathe Life Ministries lead a presentation on noticing yourself with God. As part of that workshop, they…
Advent… A Field Guide to Humans 10 Dec 2021 A Field Guide to Humans: Their Limitations and Glory By the Archangel Michael (transcribed by Conrad Gempf) My fellow angels! How resplendent you all look! Can I just say, I…
Cultural Studies… I Long to See You Face to Face 29 Oct 20212 Nov 2021 It’s been a rather confusing year for worship. We’re called to stay focused on relationship. By Justin Rossow As COVID-19 drags on (and on, and on, and on...), our novel…
Cultural Studies… Social Media and a Sense of Play 16 Jul 2021 An interview with Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller In this special episode of the Next Step Podcast, Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller, Senior Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas talks to…
Cultural Studies… World Travelers 1 Jun 20211 Jun 2021 By Rachel Hinz “We are in the world; but not of the world.” Did your mom ever say this to you? Mine did. I thought of it recently when I…
Cultural Studies… Creator Spirit 24 Mar 2021 By Justin Rossow As a nation of shepherds and farmers, the ancient Israelites preferred solid ground beneath their feet. The dark, churning waters of a storm-tossed sea took root in…
Cultural Studies… 10 *Good* Things about Daylight Savings 13 Mar 2021 By Katie Helmreich My Facebook memories lately have been full of my chronic complaints about Daylight Saving Time. Normally, I'm a fairly optimistic person so I challenged myself to find…
Cultural Studies… Loss of the Familiar 20 Feb 2021 By Jamie Wiechman Do you remember what it was like before life started throwing us so many curveballs? When work, school, sports, restaurants, churches, etc. were a standard part of…
Cultural Studies… To See Like Jesus 25 Jan 202125 Jan 2021 The disciples live by one set of metaphors. Jesus sees the world very differently… By Justin Rossow Jesus sits on the edge of a literal well, and is literally tired…
Cultural Studies… Hope-Filled Speech 14 Jan 202114 Jan 2021 By Sam Fink If you’ve known Jesus for more than about 15 minutes, you probably know, or have at least heard a sermon on 1 Peter 3:15. When I was…
Cultural Studies… 6 Ways to Shine on Social Media 13 Jan 2021 By Amy Larson from Mom Fuel Is it just me, or does it seem like each time social media calms down ... something else happens to stir the pot again?…
Cultural Studies… A Spiritual Body? 11 Jan 2021 By Conrad Gempf So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised…
Cultural Studies The Battle for the Soul of America: There is No Spoon 7 Jan 202121 Jan 2021 By Justin Rossow A battle is raging for the soul of America. And we are all losing. One of my favorite movie quotes comes as Neo waits to see the…
