Jesus encounters Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in John 11. He meets them each where they are, and shows us how God brings healing to our mind, our heart/spirit, and our body.

I had the great joy of teaching a three-day intensive class last weekend at Luther Seminary. We call this RFS (Residential Focus Session). A full credit masters course requires 40 hours of instructor-led class time. The RFS gathers distributed learners (DLs) from...

This is the sermon I preached on Ash Wednesday at Luther Seminary, Feb. 18, 2026. Remember that you are a beloved clump of dirt, filled with the breath of God.

A reflection on the ashes–the beloved clump of dirt–of Ash Wednesday. What does this moment of our lives mean in the grand scheme of the universe?

Lent begins this week. It starts with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 and then moves through 5 Sundays that lead to Palm Sunday on March 29. In this post I want to look specifically at the texts and possible themes for the Gospel readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.

I had the joy to preach at First Presbyterian Church in Hastings, NE. The sermon comes from the Narrative Lectionary text for Feb. 8, 2026. This week we see another contrast between the northern region and Jerusalem. There was a royal official in Cana who saw Jesus for who he was and had enough faith in him that he asked Jesus to heal his son long distance. There was another man in Jerusalem who was the lowest of the low. Jesus breaks the Sabbath law and heals this man. Yet, in spite of the miracle of healing, the only thing that people can see in Jesus is a lawbreaker and a blasphemer. We see what we want to see.

Open our eyes, oh Lord

Join me for this livestream contemplative art experience where I paint a tree in Procreate on my iPad. There were a lot of technical glitches during this livestream, but it turned out that we learned as much from them as we did from the contemplative drawing practice.

I hope this stream opens a space of slowness and contemplation that is a balm during such difficult times.

https://youtube.com/live/-mvdoQyGOZ0Minneapolis is experiencing a horrible time as ICE agents roam our streets, using brute tactics in a force of terror. Three people have been shot, two of whom died. Protestors are flooding the streets. The tension and violence is...

Painting is therapy for me.

May this image help you today.

Today is Epiphany. January 6. Great, but what is it? In this video I introduce you to the season, why it matters, and how you can teach others about it. Enjoy!