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War impacts a Lutheran-run hospital in the Holy Land
The war in Gaza had been going on for six months. It was the week before Easter, and the third week of Ramadan. The Old City of Jerusalem, normally packed with pilgrims, seemed deserted. “Look around you; this is not like Easter,” Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar of the...
Radical hospitality
I recently returned from a remote village in rural northwest Alaska. I’d been attending a regional Lutheran conference there. The highlight—aside from hours of singing gospel hymns and participating in business meetings—was visiting people in their homes and accepting...
Listening to loneliness
I didn’t grow up deprived of opportunities to make friends. I had a loving family. I enjoyed playing with my little brother. Still, I always felt like I was missing something. Whenever a house went up for sale on our block, I would pray that a little girl would move...
2023 Advent devotional: “Topsy-turvy” by the Rev. Hannah Hawkinson
In her song, Mary, the mother of Jesus, praises God for turning the world upside down--or perhaps, turning the world right-side-up! Gather's annual Advent devotional focuses on the Magnificat song of Mary (see Luke 1:46b-55), as well as parallel topsy-turvy stories of...
When we know better, we do better
A while back, one of my children was struggling with some behaviors that I thought might indicate a mental health issue. It created a challenging situation at home; it upset our daily life. I didn’t know where to turn. First, I talked to his elementary school teacher....
10 ways to manage your mental health
Felicia Houston, mental health specialist with ELCA-affiliated Advocate Health Care, Chicago, offers tips on how to manage your mental health. “Taking care of your mind is just as important as taking care of your body,” she says. “Protect your mental and emotional...
Who dies by suicide?
By Elise Seyfried Statistics indicate that a person who dies by suicide is most likely to be a white or Native American male, aged 55 to 75. Men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. But statistics don’t tell a complete story. Deaths of despair...
Take the first step
Help create a safer world for kids. Did you know that the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the United States increased 50 percent between 2019 and 2021, and that gun violence became the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens in 2020? The...
Women of the ELCA triennial logos continue to inspire
Logos and themes from past Women of the ELCA triennial gatherings can inspire and challenge us today. For example, the 1990 theme, “Celebrate God’s Creation” reminds us of our call to live as stewards of God’s creation and to work toward healing and restoration in our...
Faithful eating
By Ryan Cumming THE QUESTION IN MY EMAIL inbox was one of the oddest I had received as a food systems educator: “How did a plastic box of Brussels sprouts destined for a grocery store in the northeastern U.S. end up on a discount table at a farmer’s market in the Bay...