For My Friends Enough for the Next Step 12 Jan 2022 By Alli Bauck The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 (NIV) It…
Advent… I’ve Got You Surrounded! 1 Dec 20211 Dec 2021 By Justin Rossow In Philippians 4:4–7, Paul is landing the plane on his letter to these dear friends with some final words of exhortation and encouragement. Verse 7 includes a…
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…
Faith Experiment A New Walk 21 Oct 202122 Oct 2021 By Raelyn Pracht I recently wanted to start a simple new habit to reach a certain step count every day. I knew two things going into this: (1) I needed…
For Me Noticing the Schemes of the Accuser 31 Aug 202125 Jan 2022 By Jamie Wiechman This morning I had to wake up early. That’s not completely unusual for me, but today it was my responsibility to drive my daughter to school. While…
Discipleship Tools… A Prayer Life Audit 20 Aug 20213 Nov 2021 By Raelyn Pracht I have always been amazed and, admittedly, a bit intimidated hearing other people pray. Conversing with the Almighty seems to come naturally to my friends—the words dripping…
For Me 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…
Discipleship Tools The Trinity and Praying for the Spirit 30 May 2021 By Justin Rossow In Acts 2, Peter says that the risen and ascended Christ has poured out the Spirit at Pentecost. In John 14, Jesus says he will ask, and…
For Me 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…
Discipleship Tools… Walking in Prayer 26 May 2021 By Alli Bauck I remember being introduced to the concept of a prayer walk when I was in 8th grade. My confirmation class was enjoying a weekend retreat at a…
Exegetical Study Prayers of The Faithful One 21 Apr 202121 Apr 2021 By Justin Rossow In Mark 9, right after the Transfiguration, a concerned father brings his son to Jesus in desperation. The father (in Greek, ὁ πατὴρ, ho patēr) says to…
For Me A Squawk for Help 14 Apr 2021 By Justin Rossow One of my all-time favorite prayers comes in the middle of the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9. At the end of Chapter 8, you may recall, Jesus…
Discipleship Tools… Come, Holy Spirit! 23 Mar 2021 By Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAuthor of Sculptor Spirit: Models of Sanctification from Spirit Christology How often have you prayed to the Holy Spirit? How regularly do…
Discipleship Tools… Feeling Secure 22 Mar 202122 Mar 2021 By Naomi Rossow Secure: a feeling of calm washes over you and relaxes your body when you feel safe, in a place or with a person. When I experience security,…
Discipleship Tools… Praying the Emotion Wheel 20 Mar 202120 Mar 2021 By Gabriella Wiechman To give you an idea of how to use the emotion wheel, I am going to walk you through my process. When I am noticing myself getting…
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… My Identity, On Deposit 4 Dec 2020 By Justin Rossow I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the question of identity. Well before COVID made working from home a common, cultural experience, I left a job and…
For Me… 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…
