Bishop 30 July 2025 On the chess board, the bishop is a powerful player. How impactful to be able to move diagonally in any direction! How about the Bishop of the ELCA? This week at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix Arizona, a new presiding bishop is being elected for a six-year term. Unlike our brothers and sisters in the …

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers? 23 July 2025 Have you ever lost anything? Yesterday, I spotted a hat on a pole. Apparently, while riding a bike or golf cart, a lady’s beautiful summertime hat had inadvertently fallen to the ground. A Good Samaritan, rather than taking the lovely chapeau home for themselves, expended some energy to help. By posting the hat …

14 Hours & 9 Minutes 16 July 2025 14 hours, 9 minutes, and 19 seconds. That’s how much daylight we enjoy today in Atlanta, Georgia. How will you take advantage of the sunshine? Come this February, will you be like me, cursing the fact that it’s dark as we drive home from work? Heaven help me if I had to …

Amp at Camp 9 July 2025 Dear Faith Friends, I’m freshly back from Camp Luther on the shores of Lake Erie. Glad to represent COS and honor my ordination promises to serve the larger church, I was the adult group study leader for about 65 adults who gathered each morning as part of a daily flow of faith and fun …

Lady Liberty’s Broken Chains 2 July 2025 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36 (NRSV) I love American history! I love discovering a new story that captures the best ideas of our beloved country. You’ve probably heard the following story long ago. But not me. How has it taken me 58 years …

Humming Houseflies 25 June 2025 Dear Faith Friends, Are you like me? Do houseflies ever torment you around the sink? The other day I learned that houseflies hum in the key of F. Writer Kate Kennedy informed me… …these irritating little creatures—the ones that make me feel silly while playing hide-and-seek around our kitchen sink as I grab the fly …

Installation 18 June 2025 Installation. Have you installed anything recently? For the Wieses, it was a new microwave. The fancy convection built-in microwave/oven that came with our house finally bit the dust. After the retrofit of the cabinet, the required wiring, and installation fees, the actual cost of the new basic microwave seemed to be a drop in the bucket. …

The Pulse of Paul 11 June 2025 Dear Faith Friends, Like last week, as you read this, the COS Footsteps of Paul Adventure Group is over in Greece.  Entering into the stories of Scripture through Paul’s journeys, we hope to enter more deeply into love, grace, and flow of Jesus’ Good News that Paul was so passionate to share all …

Setting Sail 4 June 2025 Dear Faith Friends,   By the time you read this, our COS Footsteps of Paul Adventure Group is figuring out our first day in Greece. Later this week, we’ll be boarding a ship to sail across the Aegean Sea. As we follow Paul’s route, we too, will be open to what God has in store …

Welcome Pastor Wes! 28 May 2025 Dear Faith Friends, One of the reasons we rejoice this spring is the opportunity to welcome a new faith and life partner in our midst, Pastor Wes Smith, our new Associate Pastor at COS. As part of the “get to know you” process, let me use this WFW to ask Pastor Wes some possible …