For My Friends Infant Holy, Infant Lowly 23 Dec 202123 Dec 2021 The Next Step PodcastSeason 3: Light in the DarknessEpisode 10: Infant Holy, Infant LowlyDate: 23 December 2021Guest: Pat Maier, Visual Faith™ Ministry and Amy Meyer, Neighboring Life Also available on:…
For My Friends Fresh Orange Muffins 23 Dec 202123 Dec 2021 By Justin Rossow and Pat Maier I recently had the chance to interview Pat Maier, one of the cofounders of Visual Faith™ Ministry, for the Next Step Podcast. That episode…
For My Friends For His Bed A Cattle Stall 21 Dec 202121 Dec 2021 By Justin Rossow "Infant holy, infant lowly, for his bed a cattle stall..." I wonder why so many people go out of their way to get together over Christmas. I…
Cultural Studies… 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…
My Christmas Letter to God 26 Nov 2021 By Alli Bauck Every year around this time I debate sending a family Christmas card. In previous years I have justified my participation in this holiday tradition because we had…
Cultural Studies Far as the Curse is Found 26 Dec 202029 Dec 2020 By Justin Rossow When Isaac Watts published the text for the now-famous hymn Joy to the World in 1719, he was actually paraphrasing Psalm 98:4-9. (Read more.) Watts pushes poetic…
Advent… Have A Very … Christmas 18 Dec 2020 By Justin Rossow I love Christmas time! Except when I don't. And a Covid Christmas brings up all kinds of mixed emotions (shaken, not stirred). My parents decided not to…
For My Friends My Virtual Secret Santa 17 Dec 2020 By Naomi Rossow This time last year, I was in Detroit on Wayne's campus with my friends gearing up to take my first round of college finals. My friends and…
Advent… O Zoom, All Ye Faithful 16 Dec 202015 Dec 2020 By Katie Helmreich In those days a decree went out, that everyone should return to their own homes and stay there. This was the first pandemic in a hundred years,…
Dear Jesus, I Have Survivor Guilt 13 Dec 202014 Dec 2020 By Kristeen Bruun Over the past ten days, I have been working on writing my annual Christmas letter, something I have sent out for at least the past 30 years.…
For My Friends Holiday Mom Stress 24 Nov 2020 By Amy Larson from Mom Fuel Whether or not you are ready for it, the holiday season is upon us. You may feel some extra stress about the holidays if…
Discipling Leaders A Change of Epiphany Bumper Stickers 6 Jan 2020 Maybe you’ve seen the bumper sticker: “Wise men still seek Him.” I always kind of liked that one … Except the role of “Magi from the East” in the Gospel…
Discipling Leaders The Spiritual Gift of Naps 1 Jan 2020 Jesus was known to pull the occasional prayer all-nighter; but he was also the kind of guy who could get so exhausted, that he slept through a rising gale and…
Advent… Fully Adopted 29 Dec 2019 I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on the face of the university president when I hit him square in the middle of his bald head with a rubber…
Advent… Rest and Jubilee 28 Dec 2019 In the Old Testament, the Year of Jubilee was a special kind of Sabbath celebration: Sabbath came once a week at the end of seven days. Jubilee came once every…
Advent… Travel Plans Not My Own 20 Dec 2019 A number of years ago, when my congregational leaders put out a call for a summer Sunday school teacher, I ignored the call as long as I could. Who wants…
For My Friends Team Advent 17 Nov 2019 When I went to write an Advent devotion book, I made a conscious decision to do something different; something more. (You can read more about it here: Something Different for…