Life
Nurture your spirit with these stories and reflections that explore the human experience.
Strange guests
God’s hospitality extends to creepy-crawlies too. by Christa Von Zychlin O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. … creeping things innumerable… living things both small and great. …and Leviathan that...
Oak sentinels
by Catherine Malotky GOD OF GRACE AND BEAUTY, for more than two decades I have begun my day with a walk in the same wooded park near my home. Situated on glacial moraine, the park has a lake at its center that was once a giant block of ice as tall as the highest...
Ground rules
by Elizabeth Hunter I’M CURIOUS: HOW MANY of your early memories involve nature? My earliest memory, from when I was a toddler, is of being in a boat on a lake. Another early memory involves a friend the same age as me, who waved each day, whispered hello and quite...
Sparrows and shepherds
One taught me to be the other. by Helen Hollingsworth “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many...
Money memories
by Lisa A. Smith WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF MONEY? My earliest memory of money was trying to earn it. My brother and I would collect empty aluminum cans from parks or along roadsides and take them to the redemption center. After lining up sticky, smelly cans in...
Pray for me. Pray for the earth.
by Venice Williams I’LL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT that I can be a bit obsessive when it comes to this. I am not in denial. I know I get on some folks’ nerves. Okay, maybe a lot of folks! I really just cannot reel myself back in. Maybe everyone reading this should just...
Sarah’s table
by Dorothy Probst I MET SARAH, MY THEOLOGY PROFESSOR’S WIFE, in a YMCA water aerobics class. Upon learning that I was her husband’s student at the seminary, Sarah befriended me. I was often invited to their home for lively barbeque parties. My family had all passed...
Building a new quilt
by Catherine Malotky GRACIOUS GOD, YOU CREATED US. We are all figments of your imagination, come to life. Sometimes we reflect well on you. Sometimes not so much. But we are your creation, and we stand humbly in your presence, grateful for the gift of life and your...
Time for pruning
Jesus talked about this. by Cara Strickland I’M NOT MUCH OF A GARDENER. In my time, I’ve tended a pathetically small group of corn stalks and a modest group of green bean plants. I’ve killed every basil plant I’ve ever bought at the grocery store and every potted...
Piecing resilience
LWR quilts wrap the world in God’s love. by Anne Basye IS THERE ANY MORE POWERFUL symbol for resilience than a quilt? Patched together from scraps of worn clothing and linen, quilts blend beauty with thrift. Stitched with love by their creators, they strengthen their...
Small dragons, deep prayers
by Lisa A. Smith BEDTIME THEOLOGY WITH MY 3-YEAR-OLD: 3-year-old: Are dragons real? Me: No, honey, they’re not real. 3-year-old: (Yelling toward ceiling) God, can you make dragons? (Pause). He said no. They’re too big. Me: Well, there are some lizards that are like...
A purse that won’t wear out
Peggy found the real treasure. By Jennifer M. Ginn WHILE I’M PUTTING IN my customary few hours at the church yard sale, talking with shoppers and cruising the tables for my own bargains, along comes Peggy, an older church member whose adult daughter lives with her....
Lessons from the forge
by Laura Brix Newbury A SMALL FORGE in a church parking lot may seem like an unusual place to heal wounded hearts, but that's what happened at an event our congregation hosted this past spring. We were fortunate to be one of the stops on a nationwide book tour for...
Under a quilt
That was where the magic happened By Mary Dixon THE WOMEN IN MY FAMILY have always used needlework to share their Christian faith and love with others. My maternal grandmother, Ella (or “GrandElla,” as I called her), and my mother taught me needlework of all kinds. My...
Sewn together
By Elizabeth Hunter I’VE ONLY BEGUN TO LEARN about quilting, but I’ve wanted to sew ever since I was a young child. At age 7, I came across an ad for a “first sewing machine” that claimed to be child-safe and able to sew anything. That was great news: I had a homemade...
First, belonging
Toward a more Christ-like welcome by Julia Seymour The Autumn of 2017 was one of the most overwhelming of my life. I was not sure what was happening in my marriage. I was feeling increasing pressure from the Holy Spirit to be open to a new call as a pastor....
When a pastor can’t forgive
Can I bear the burden of racism any more than I already do? By Tuhina Verma Rasche I currently find myself swimming in seas of whiteness, which leads to my conflicted feelings about confession and forgiveness. I serve as an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament...
God’s table for all
By Women of the ELCA staff June is an opportunity to welcome everyone to the table. ST. MATTHEW’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, Taylorsville, Utah; Trinity Lutheran Church, Kutztown, Penn.; University Lutheran Church, Clemson, S.C. These are among the most recent congregations...