For My Friends… Lord, to whom shall we go? 22 Feb 202322 Feb 2023 By Rachel Hinz “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter says this to Jesus after hearing some really difficult stuff. Confusing, hard stuff.…
For My Friends Rosemary 10 Jan 202310 Jan 2023 By Kristeen A. Bruun By the rivers of Babylon I sat and wept...How could I sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land? Paraphrase of Psalm 137:1, 4…
For My Friends The Christmas Cardinal 13 Dec 202211 Dec 2022 By Raelyn Pracht Growing up, we always decorated the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My father would string the lights on the tree and wrap it in shiny, silver…
Lasts 7 Nov 2022 By Kim Longden I was surprised at church yesterday when my six-year-old daughter asked me to hold her during the liturgy. I almost told her no, that she’s too big;…
Cultural Studies “Jesus wept.” 17 Oct 202218 Oct 2022 By Rachel Hinz Six years ago my mom died. That’s not how I usually say it, though. I’ll say something like, “My mom got to see her Savior.” Or, “My…
For My Friends Non-Judgmental Noticing 7 Oct 2022 The Next Step PodcastSeason 6: My Next Step, Vol 1: Getting StartedEpisode 2.3: Non-Judgmental NoticingDate: 06 October 2022Guest: Jamie Wiechman, Cofounder of Breathe Life Ministries Also available on: Apple Podcasts,…
Discipling Leaders… O Holy Night 18 Dec 2021 The Next Step PodcastSeason 3: Light in the DarknessEpisode 8: O Holy NightDate: 18 December 2021Guest: Jamie Wiechman, Cofounder of Breathe Life Ministries Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,…
For My Friends Ivy for Dana 10 Sep 20211 Nov 2022 By Kristeen A. Bruun I attend a lot of funerals. Partly, as I age, I of course know more people who die. But also, I grew up in a small…
Unexpected Emotions 6 Jun 20216 Jun 2021 By Kim Longden One evening during the recent Memorial Day weekend I took a walk through our neighborhood. It was noticeably quieter than usual—many houses empty and closed up as…
Send Somebody; Anybody! 27 May 20213 Nov 2021 By Justin Rossow I have been sad all day today. I can't really tell you why. Or, rather, the sadness comes from many different sources, some of which I am…
For My Friends I Can’t Fix Everything 6 Apr 2021 By Kim Longden A few weeks ago my son’s goldfish died. Bubbles the Fish had been struggling for a few days, and at the ripe old age of three had…
Uncategorized Our Family Covid-versary Meal 23 Feb 202123 Feb 2021 By Heidi Goehmann This last week, I noted to a friend that I could feel the ghosts of grief clawing just at the corners of my psyche. It wasn't that…
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…
Mom’s Trash Can 15 Dec 202015 Dec 2020 By Kim Longden My mom went to be with the Lord six months ago, and one of the things we brought from her kitchen to ours was her trash can.…
For My Friends Four years 10 Nov 2020 By Naomi Rossow With a presidential election on the horizon, our family was receiving at least three or more pieces of "vote for me" mail each day. My sister and…