It’s often observed that the Lutheran world is a fairly small and interconnected one. Even for someone without the strong familial ties to greater Luther-dom, it’s obvious and impressive in some respects. And since my wife’s family does have pastors in the family tree, their connections are a lot deeper and more extensive than mine.… Continue reading Lord of Life Lutheran, Sioux Falls
Category: Life
Tuesday Bible Study & Strategizing
This morning I had a great opportunity to meet with a Bible study of 20 or more guys from both local congregations in Norfolk as well as other communities within a drive of 30 minutes or so. They’ve been gathering every other Tuesday for 13 years to study various books of the Bible (they’re currently… Continue reading Tuesday Bible Study & Strategizing
Monday School Tour
This morning I had the opportunity to meet with the spiritual director of the Lutheran high school in Norfolk. The facility is impressive, catering to a student body of roughly 150 students between grades 9-12. Two gymnasiums, a large music room and plans to expand with a new life sciences area and additional classrooms are… Continue reading Monday School Tour
A Busy Day!
Today was our busy day – and a great one at that! It began with Bible study at 8:45 am at Grace Lutheran in Norfolk. We had the chance to share about LCMS work around the world and my anticipated work as a Theological Educator in Southeast Asia. Afterwards were some questions and discussion. Then… Continue reading A Busy Day!
A Quiet Day
Introverts tasked with meeting people and sharing about our lives present and future need quiet time in between to recharge. It’s not that we don’t enjoy time with others and meeting new people. In fact, ironically, we love it. But it exacts an emotional and even physical price that we try to take into account.… Continue reading A Quiet Day
Touching the Future
Think about today. Or tomorrow? How does it look? I used to know what each day of the week would look like, more or less. Waking up to have breakfast with the family before heading to work. Thursdays up extra early to prep for in-depth Bible study. A bagel and black tea to help me… Continue reading Touching the Future
Move Completed!
Well, the first one at least! Monday afternoon we completed packing and left Santa Barbara. By Tuesday evening the truck was unpacked, with our few remaining belongings in a storage unit and access to where we’ll be staying for the next three months accomplished. We’re grateful that the massive sell-off and give away of most… Continue reading Move Completed!
Fun With E-Mail
So we completed our first newsletter and were all ready to mail it out today. Then we discovered that the mail program recommended to us didn’t allow you to attach documents to your e-mails! Aaack! We reached out to someone with more experience with us in this area and she directed us to another mail… Continue reading Fun With E-Mail
Envy
It’s hard to know what to talk about at this point in our preparations for overseas church work. It isn’t as though things aren’t happening, it’s just that they aren’t the exciting sorts of things that partners are looking forward to hearing about. We aren’t deployed to the field yet. We don’t have beautiful pictures… Continue reading Envy
Vocation
Vocation’s a big word with a lot of nuances depending on the context you find it in. Some people equate it with a career, but it traditionally draws in the idea that you have some gifts or abilities in the area being discussed. It’s more than making a buck, it’s doing something you were designed… Continue reading Vocation
The Nelson Family Indonesia 