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…
Cultural Studies… On Being Human 10 May 202413 Nov 2024 By Jamie Wiechman I have really been wrestling with my humanness lately. Do you know what it means to be human? According to Merriam-Webster, “human” means “representative of or susceptible…
Exegetical Study Partial Eclipse of the Heart 3 Apr 20248 Jul 2024 By Justin Rossow The last time a solar eclipse was visible in North America, my son Caleb and I were down in south Texas, and therefore right in the shadow's…
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…
Cultural Studies… Strangers on the Beach 14 Mar 202418 Mar 2024 By Elizabeth Rossow You would think that sitting by the ocean would make me feel insignificant. I mean, we hear stories all the time of how, when faced with that…
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…
Cultural Studies… To See Ourselves as Jesus Sees Us 30 Oct 20231 Nov 2023 By Justin Rossow I have had a song stuck in my head for over a week, humming it to myself since we we sang it in worship a Sunday ago:…
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…
Discipleship Tools… Souvenirs of God’s Faithfulness 9 Aug 20239 Aug 2023 By Kim Longden I picked up the My Next Step, Volume 1 book this morning (the one with the compass on the cover) and I was so encouraged! The invitation…
For My Friends Called to Listen, Commissioned to Speak 17 Jul 20238 Jul 2024 By Justin Rossow “What am I supposed to say?” For people who follow Jesus, that question can come up in all kinds of different circumstances. That question can turn a…
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… 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.…
Discipling Leaders… Let Zacchaeus Have His Day 15 Nov 20228 Jul 2024 By Justin Rossow You probably know the story. Or at least the song: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.” You likely know the…
Reflections on God, Faith, and Promises 10 Nov 2022 By Jamie Wiechman Exactly five years and three months ago, I believed God for something impossible. It wasn’t a promise directly out of Scripture (though it was surrounded by Scripture…
For My Friends Today is Where the Gift is. 19 Oct 2022 By Jamie Wiechman A few years ago, it was brought to my attention that I had a lot of discontentment. I’ll be honest: that feedback stung a bit. I was in…
Make Like a Tree 5 Oct 2022 By Katie Helmreich For nearly a hundred years, our silver poplar tree has graced the backyard. We have dozens of other trees, but this gigantic tree and the shade underneath it…
Disciple LIke You Mean It… Noticing Your Emotions, with Jesus 30 Sep 202215 Nov 2023 By Justin Rossow Emotions are simply part of who we are as human beings; which means our emotions are "beautifully and wonderfully made," and part of a fallen creation, both…
