Word from Wiese

Roses

Roses 27 August 2025 Can you spot the 8 rose petals in the picture? On my day off last Thursday morning, I was hiking with my dog Breezy through Line Creek Nature Area, one of the special treasures of Fayette Country. As we came upon the shoals, I spotted a brilliant red petal. Such color was unique for that area, …

Word from Wiese

Weep with Those Who Weep

Weep with Those Who Weep 20 August 2025 Dear Faith Friends, Can I share a story about 3 groups of people? You’ve got your own version about these 3 groups, but here’s mine. The first group are European Jews. Over the years, on our faith trips to Germany, we’ve walked through the gates of three concentration camps: Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and …

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Jaws & COS, Both 50

Jaws & COS, Both 50 13 August 2025 In the summer of 1975, two very different forces were unleashed. One was a movie. The other was a church. Both center around water. The blockbuster movie Jaws featured a New England beach community’s offer to enjoy the s-u-n-shine by the ocean. Christ Our Shepherd called folks to gather around their baptismal …

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ELCA Bishop Update: A Longer Table

ELCA Bishop Update: A Longer Table 6 August 2025 Thomas Edison – first successful electric light bulb. Neil Armstrong– first man on the moon. Marie Curie – first person (and still the only woman) to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields. Amelia Earhart—first transatlantic solo flight by a woman. First non-white, second-career Presiding Bishop of the ELCA… Bishop …

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Bishop

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 …

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Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers?

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 …

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14 Hours & 9 Minutes

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 …

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Amp at Camp

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 …

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Lady Liberty’s Broken Chains

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 …

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Humming Houseflies

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 …