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
Travel Day!
Today we bid goodbye to our friends and hosts – the Asburys – in Norfolk. This necessitated a bus ride to Omaha, where we rented a car and headed to Sioux City, IA. I’ve actually wanted to ride a Greyhound bus ever since I first heard Simon & Garfunkle’s haunting tune America. A desire I’ve… Continue reading Travel Day!
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
Reading Ramblings – June 27, 2021
Date: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, June 27th, 2021 Texts: Lamentations 3:22-33; Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43 Context: The lessons for today don’t appear to work together very well. The reading from Lamentations is a brief ray of sunlight in an otherwise very dark and sorrowful book. The psalmist rightly directs praise to… Continue reading Reading Ramblings – June 27, 2021
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
In the Air
Incredible, that we can in the span of 2 hours of actual air time move halfway across the country, leaving behind the brownscape of the southwestern desert to land in the lush greenery of the mid-west. What a blessing our technology is in so many ways, and what an amazing example and fulfillment of our… Continue reading In the Air
Midwest Locations & Dates!
Friday we fly from Phoenix to Omaha to begin a week-and-a-half visit to the Midwest. While we have meetings scheduled throughout that time, there are also opportunities to meet still open – just let me know when and where and I’ll let you know what we can do! Our major visits & dates are as… Continue reading Midwest Locations & Dates!
One-on-One
A lot of how we were prepared to build a network of partners focused on meeting with large groups of people – congregations. I’m sure from one angle this makes a lot of sense. If you talk with a lot of people at one time it’s a more efficient use of your time and there’s… Continue reading One-on-One
The Nelson Family Indonesia 