Date: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost ~ July 25, 2021 Texts: Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 136:1-9; Ephesians 3:14-21; Mark 6:45-66 Context: God is the Creator of all things. This means God is master of all things. There is nothing that happens without God’s either direct will (the Flood) or permission (Job). This is how we are to… Continue reading Reading Ramblings – July 25, 2021
Reading Ramblings – July 18, 2021
Date: Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 18, 2021 Texts: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-44 Context: Just starting the reading at Jeremiah 23:1, we might be inclined to interpret the words as directed towards the priests as shepherds of God’s people. However if you start at Chapter 21 you see this is… Continue reading Reading Ramblings – July 18, 2021
St. Paul, Ogden UT
Today we were blessed to worship with the saints at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ogden, UT. My wife’s family has a long history here, with her grandparents on her father’s side being life-long members there, along with her aunts and uncles until most of them moved away. St. Paul Lutheran, Ogden UT I was… Continue reading St. Paul, Ogden UT
Practicing Patience
Yesterday we got to practice patience, something we’re told we’ll need plenty of in getting around in Indonesia. Friday we flew into Santa Barbara from Phoenix. Months ago I promised to do the memorial service for a parishioner of my former congregation. The memorial was this morning at 11am. We made it to the Santa… Continue reading Practicing Patience
Making Connections
As a newly Called global church worker, making connections with pastors to come and visit their congregations can be challenging. I know from experience as a parish pastor there are plenty of agencies and groups – all good organizations, to be sure – hoping to get word of their work and invitations to support it… Continue reading Making Connections
What We’re Reading
Part of trying to prepare ourselves for life overseas means doing research, learning history and other things that could help us make better sense of where we’re going. I don’t know about y’all, but Southeast Asian history was touched rather lightly (ie not at all!) in my education. Even my undergraduate studies in history never… Continue reading What We’re Reading
A Bit About Chronology Here
Just as a heads up, I try to keep this blog more or less chronological. But being human, I’m also prone to lapses of memory. Add to that juggling technology in terms of whether the photos for the day are on my wife’s phone or mine, and sometimes things get lost in the shuffle, at… Continue reading A Bit About Chronology Here
Reading Ramblings – July 11, 2021
Date: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ July 11, 2021 Texts: Amos 7:7-15; Psalm 85; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-20 Context: The Word of God often stands in stark contradiction to the rules of polite society or the transitory whims of human nature, not to mention the insistent rebellion of outright evil. Speaking the Word of God… Continue reading Reading Ramblings – July 11, 2021
Home!
Glad to say we made it home at last! Thanks to everyone we met and talked with over the past two weeks! We look forward to next time! But for now, it’s nice to be home!
Ambushing Pastors
Both parishes I served prior to embarking on this new role of theological educator were relatively small. Visitors were relatively rare, whether congregants or members of the larger city stopping by at random. By and large I enjoyed unexpected drop-ins, depending on what I was working on at the moment. Certainly there were times when… Continue reading Ambushing Pastors
The Nelson Family Indonesia 