Posts Categorized: Faith

Barn Boots and Blessings

Someday is now Seeing the God dreams right in front of us by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   The Christmas tree is losing its needles and the cutout Santa cookies are beyond stale. Christmas 2017 is fast-becoming a memory. All eyes are now on 2018. That means our eyes are on the goals and dreams we… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

This Christmas Eve, linger a bit  A little rural church basks in Christ’s light  by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   We had just finished singing Silent Night. The Christmas Eve service was soon to be over and I felt like a child who had just opened the last of her Christmas presents. I was still overjoyed,… Read more »

The B-Flat Christian

A wonderful time of year Time to decide what’s really important by Rebecca Lister   It’s that time of year — “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” It’s a time that the “Marthas” of the world relish — a time of baking, shopping, wrapping, cooking and constantly doing. I am referring to Martha, sister… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

A different kind of Christmas card   Who is waiting to hear from you?    by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   On my desk sits an index card with the initial “R” written on it in blue marker. I have thrown this index card into the garbage at least three times so far and, so far,… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

The Christmas prayer tree A rural church reaches out in an unexpected way by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   Silence fell upon the room. A woman at my table waved to the waitress to order another glass of wine. A good diversion on her part, I thought. Others around me glanced down at the meeting agenda,… Read more »

The Unglued Church

Building new ramps Can we connect people who love God but not church?  By Susan Rothenberg   One of the reasons I am grateful for Facebook, despite its dastardly power to distract me from the useful tasks I should be doing, is that social media has reacquainted me with people I haven’t seen nor heard… Read more »

justleros: more than nonsense / más que disparates

If we had faith A resource for Sunday’s liturgy based on Luke 17:5-10 by Magdalena I. García   The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and… Read more »

I do?

Marriage as Witness Understanding marriage as being about mission, not happiness By Jeffrey A Schooley This column is for the engaged, the to-be-engaged, and even for those who are already married and are still working out what that means. Last month we explored the significance of couples getting married in the church during a normal… Read more »

Unglued church

Trusting in resurrection Accomplishing more together  By Sarah Robbins “My first call was not what I had imagined– and what a relief that turned out to be.” This is pretty close to the phrasing that I hear most pastors say when describing the beginning of their work as Ministers of Word and Sacrament – for… Read more »

Pilgrim Poems

If not now, when? Love speaksA poem about conquering fear by Rose Niles TheResurrected JesusSpeaksMainlyOf conquering fear—“Do not be afraid”Over and over—I consulted the exhaustiveConcordanceAnd this is trueAttestedBy all the witnessesWe have—Do not be afraidDo not be afraid—Every time JesusShows up to meAnd to us allThe greeting of all greetings:Do not be afraid.When we are… Read more »