by Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy I recently opened up my email to see this subject title: “You Might Be A Lutheran If…”. I had to ask myself if this was an email worth opening or will it only bring me sadness, anger, and confusion. Before we get into this, let me introduce myself. I became a spiritual person in terms of my vocation when I was … Continue reading You Might Be a Lutheran If…
by Rev. Marla Rotman One of the things a person has to do to become a pastor is get over their fear of public speaking. I remember back to when I first began—the knees shaking, the sweaty palms, the dry mouth. And, at the time, the best advice out there was, “Imagine everyone in their underwear.” I don’t know about you, but that didn’t cut … Continue reading Reflections on Pandemic Ministry
by Mark Jackson A few weeks into the pandemic, I received the call no youth leader wants to get: “One of our teens died in a car accident last night. So did her mom.” Returning from a Memorial Day weekend trip, a mom, her daughter and the family’s beloved dog died at the scene. Another daughter was airlifted to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries … Continue reading Grief, Loss and Care Through a Pandemic
by Leigh Finke The lightbulb thing—that’s how my conversation with Bishop Michael Rinehart started and ended. Rinehart is bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, home to 105 ELCA congregations spread across western Texas and southern Louisiana. The lightbulb thing is a reference to Thomas Edison and his quest to invent the lightbulb. In the famous, perhaps apocryphal quote, Edison said, “I didn’t fail to … Continue reading Failure is Always an Option: An Interview with Bishop Michael Rinehart
by Angela Denker Beth Lewis’ life and career have taken her many miles across America. Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, a rare Lutheran surrounded by Southern Baptists, she moved on to an early career in textbook sales that often took her thousands of miles on the road from motel to motel, eating dinner alone in unfamiliar restaurants. At age 23, she was younger—and a different … Continue reading The First Woman of ___________; Beth Lewis Story from Kentucky to the Boardroom
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