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What are Christians to think about poverty and policy?
When Jesus says, “The poor you will always have with you” (John 12:8), he is, among other things, quoting from Deuteronomy 15: “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I [God] therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor...
Tanzania: A WELCA-supported mentoring and scholarship program for girls
As part of Women of the ELCA’s global engagement trip to Arusha and Meru, Tanzania, Valora Starr, director of discipleship; Eva Yeo, director of membership; and Nola Smith, a WELCA participant; join women and girls from the African Girls Scholarship & Mentorship...
Behold, I am doing a new thing
It’s my fifth winter in Wichita, Kansas. Five years ago, before traveling 1,322 miles (about 20 hours by car and in a different time zone) away from my family and friends, I never saw myself standing in this space for my first call as a pastor. Back then, the world...
December 2025: “Practicing Advent imagination” video supplement
Watch the video. Download Advent devotional. We cannot build a new future that we cannot imagine. The long nights of Advent gift us with time to dream. This study will offer us ways of imagining God’s future for us and all creation through the dreams of Joseph, the...
Works cited: Poverty and policy column, Winter 2025-26 issue
Askarinam, Leah and Linley Sanders. “Most US adults think the GOP tax bill will help the wealthy and harm the poor, AP-NORC poll finds.” Associated Press, July 18, 2025....
Anything to declare?
At any given moment, we are carrying around at least six different varieties of seeds. Yes, seeds. Biologists observe that our bodies—being part of the ecosystems in which we live— participate in the dispersion of local plant life by unknowingly harboring and...
Greed and the Christian life
When the “Varsity Blues” scandal came to light in 2019, I wrote about the problem of greed in human life. The Varsity Blues scandal involved wealthy parents of high schoolers who hired a “consultant” to help their children cheat their way into elite colleges. The...
Gather’s “Advent words” coloring book devotional – $7
Gather’s “Advent words” devotional coloring booklet makes a great gift for a friend—or for yourself! Featuring 25 daily devotionals—one for each day of Advent—each page contains an image for coloring, a passage from Scripture, a brief reflection and a prayer. This...
November 2025: “Money, Stewardship and Generosity” video supplement 3
Watch the video. (November) Session Three: Generosity – A wideness in God’s mercy God loves a cheerful giver, because our cheer in giving reflects God’s own cheerful mercies. Can the biblical practice of gleaning be considered a class in Generosity 101? We will...
Just Prayers booklet available
If you are looking for a new resource to enhance your prayer life, or are looking for a special gift for your loved ones this holiday season, consider ordering Just Prayers! This pocket-sized book of prayers, written by women from around the church, is available when...
Finding beauty in the cold
For me, fall is such a peculiar time —the sweet spot between my beloved summers and dreaded winters. My family has an ongoing joke that one fall, we’ll finally move someplace warmer and sunnier. October and November always bring that conversation back. But autumn and...
Hey, God!
“A squirrel holds an acorn in its praying hands, offering thanks, it looks like. The broken shells fall on the grass, and the grass looks up and says ‘Hey.’ And the squirrel looks down and says, ‘Hey.’ I have been saying ‘Hey,’ lately too To God. Formalities just...
October 2025: “Money, Stewardship and Generosity” video supplement 2
Watch the video. (October) Session Two: Stewardship – How do we tend our treasure? God madly, beautifully, entrusts human beings with the care of all creation, including time, talent and material wealth. Moses needs help with his time management. The practice of...
September 2025: “Money, Stewardship and Generosity” video supplement 1
Watch the video (September) Session One: Money – What do we treasure? From Genesis through Revelation, gold, silver and jewels serve as icons of God’s goodness. And yet, the love of money is a powerful source of argument, lies and literal enslavement. King Solomon,...
How to befriend someone
Friends don’t just magically appear. We make friends from among the strangers all around us. Since no two people are alike, no two people approach making friends the same way. Here are seven suggestions: Accept variations. Even Jesus, who we sing about in the hymn...
August 2025: “Where two or more are gathered: Flourishing in relationships” video supplement 3
Watch the video. (August) Session Three: Relationships that push us to grow: For such a time as this Relationships aren’t always comfortable. There are times when we find ourselves navigating the painful work of growing and changing in our relationships. This session...
July 2025: “Where two or more are gathered: Flourishing in relationships” video supplement 2
Watch the video. (July) Session Two: Relationships that sustain us: Where you go, I will go One cannot get far in this life without encountering suffering. Loss, betrayal and tragedy show up in our own lives and in the lives of those we love. In this Bible study, we...
Conflict and boundaries
One of the first words that toddlers learn is “No,” which I used to think this was a bad thing. After all, I’m more of a “yes” person. I want to be helpful. I want to be of service. I don’t want to let people down. I learned this in my family of origin. In some ways,...