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Rituals and routines: We need both
by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick— "Remember who you are and whose you are," my mother would often tell me. When I left the house to go to school or to a sleepover, she embraced me with her arms and her words. Sometimes I squirmed against it, as kids do. “Okay, Mom. I...
God of grace
by Catherine Malotky— God of grace, in Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus, we see you at work. Zacchaeus was likely not a scoundrel to begin with, though as a tax collector he certainly had to compromise over time to meet the requirements of his job. I wonder: What...
Everything is connected: An interview with Kelly Glow
by Sarah Carson Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Kelly Mims Glow learned from an early age just how vastly different people’s expressions of faith can be. “My father was a practicing Baptist,” she says. “And my mother was a Lutheran. On the first and third...
Letting go is also making room
by Kathryn Hauiesen One of my seminary professors kept a phrase written on the classroom chalkboard: “Every loss is a gain; every gain is a loss.” Life seems to consist of an endless cycle of gains and losses. Along with the losses that come in one form or another,...
Interrupted…and invited into something new
by Deanna Kim Bassett It was a beautiful day in Sacramento, California. My dad was playing golf with my uncles, and I was celebrating my upcoming birthday with the rest of my family by going out for ice cream. That lazy, late September weekend was interrupted by a...
Faith, Sexism and Justice: A Call to Action
by Heather Dean Last August the ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted (863-26) to adopt a social statement called Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action by a staggering margin. WHAT IS A SOCIAL STATEMENT? Social statements are ELCA teaching documents that help people...
Keeping the feast at the farmer’s market
by Cara Strickland— When Gather's editors reach out to ask me to write a new, semiregular column on faith, food, and cooking, I couldn’t help but think back to my first encounters with the farmers market. For a long time, I found farmer’s markets intimidating. Even...
We are called to reconciliation, not quiet.
by Tiffany C. Chaney— The peace of Christ be with you always.And also with you.Please share a sign of peace with those around you. Typically this exchange of peace in Lutheran worship results in a time of sharing enthusiastic hugs and handshakes with neighbors in the...
Blueberry grace
by Elizabeth Hunter— "Not fair!" complained my oldest son as my youngest son lifted the last blueberry muffin from the platter. “Why does this salad have leftovers, Mom?” asked my youngest, also with a note of complaint. Before I could respond to either, my oldest...
“Those people are nothing but drunks and addicts…”
by Susie Gamelin— We had just settled into our circle of chairs for a discussion about homelessness when the woman on my left decided to set the agenda for our conversation. “Those people are nothing but drunks and addicts who sleep on the sidewalks in broad daylight...
Multiple metaphors: Considering fathers and divine images
by Hannah J. Hawkinson— "Celebrate Father's Day with a beer in one hand—and a beer in the other hand!” “Happy Father’s Day to the king of the castle, the master of all you survey!” “Dad, I love you as much as you love the remote. Happy Father’s Day!” Those were just...
Safety is not always the better way
by Michelle DeRusha— Recently I re-read Matthew 4, where Jesus calls fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him and become his disciples. “Come,” Jesus says. “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Matthew tells us that all four men immediately...
Sometimes courage is required for healing and justice to begin.
by Sarah Carson— The Enneagram personality test assigns individuals a number based on the ways they respond to the world around them. I usually score as a Type 5, which the Enneagram Institute describes as “perceptive” and “innovative”—which I find flattering—as well...
I wanted my daughter to feel Lutheran too.
by Karris A. Golden— It's difficult for me to separate my religious faith from my personal identity. The feeling that I am Lutheran has been with me for as long as I can remember. Not surprisingly, I want my daughter to feel Lutheran too. I admit this desire gives me...
How we moved from debating prayer to engaging in it
by Julie A. Kanarr— I was leading a new small group class on prayer, and—truth be told—it wasn’t going well. Two of the participants were turning the discussion about types of prayer into a debate about the effectiveness of prayer. The disagreement escalated into an...
Books, boats and frozen seas
by Elizabeth Hunter— In 1904 Jewish writer Franz Kafka wrote to a friend, “If a book does not wake us…why do we read it? ...A book must be the ax to break the seas frozen inside our soul.” Certainly, many people of faith have found this to be true. Stories—the...
The reality of mothering
by Susie Gamelin—Mother's Day shines on my calendar like the famous green light from The Great Gatsby—the one at which Jay Gatsby gazes longingly each night. I was born on Mother’s Day, during visiting hours. I’ve always thought that I was a thoughtful...
An eye toward belonging
by Elizabeth Hunter—A few years ago an artist known as JR created a one day art installation in the most unlikely of places—the U.S.-Mexico border. The artwork, a huge table illustrated with a human gaze—one life-like eye on each side of the border—brought...