Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Devotion”
I Don’t Want To 11 September 2024 I don’t want to write this WFW. And you probably don’t want to read it. Much easier for both of us to stick our heads in the sand. But seven days have passed since the school shooting in Winder, Georgia, just 60 miles up the road. (And if our country’s pace of mass …
The Sweet Spot of Labor Word from Wiese 4 September 2024 Dear Friends in Faith, Growing up, the rock group Loverboy produced the hit, “Everybody’s Working for the Weekend.” Weekends are fun. Including three-day weekends like the recent Labor Day Weekend. But it’s a bit sad if the song also implies our Monday through Friday workweeks must be endured while …
Hair Word from Wiese 28 August 2024 Dear Friends in Faith, After worship a few weeks ago, I greeted the incomparable Betty Schmidt. After bravely enduring some cancer treatments, Betty’s hair was growing back wonderfully. She looked beautiful and I told her so. And then I added, “Betty, you’re styling even more hair than I am!” Without missing a …
Enduring Encouragement 24 July 2024 “You’re beautiful.” Each morning of every day for each of the 64 years they were married, Weldon told his wife, Carolyn, “you’re beautiful.” One year when LuAnne was doing her Masters of Social Work at THE Ohio State University, she lived with these dear family friends in their Columbus home. Even though not related by blood, …
Chairs 17 July 2024 Chairs. Some chairs don’t enjoy the best reputations. Time-out Chairs. Although my parents spanked me when called for growing up, the time-out chair was their go-to disciplinary method. There was nothing worse than sitting on the dining room chair knowing my friends were playing outside. I shudder to think how much time little Fritz spent …
Disruption Word from Wiese 10 July 2024 What is church? Is church a building? Sunday morning liturgy? A large group of small groups of all kinds? Justice efforts ranging from local feeding initiatives to worldwide refugee support? A source of hurt or healing, depending on the story? Jesus’ message, meal or more? This Sunday, we bless our COS high schoolers …
Giving Up on Freedom 3 July 2024 Georgia had it right! Out of all British colonies, Georgia was the only one forbidding slavery at its beginning. But then . . If you’ve visited Savannah, you’ve heard the story. James Oglethorpe of England’s Parliament lamented at the plight of those stagnating in debtors’ prison. So, in February of 1733 Oglethorpe himself led 114 colonists …
A Splendid Torch Word from Wiese 27 June 2024 A few weeks ago, an ELCA pastoral colleague retired. Pastor Peter Marty (son of esteemed church historian Martin Marty) has been a wonderful gift to the church, not only pastoring congregations, but serving as editor of a key national theological journal, The Christian Century. Actually, our own COS Larry Peterson served …
Dad Duty Word from Wiese 19 June 2024 A “duty”? Understandably, fatherhood (let alone motherhood!) sounds like hard duty sometimes. For years, relationships can include frustration, befuddlement, and weariness. Little sleep and a lot of worry in stretches (acknowledging that dad duty might be considered minor-league compared to what moms face). But research continues to prove that dads consider …
St. Simon’s Island Word from Wiese 12 June 2024 Riddle: What do St. Simon’s Island, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the USS Constitution have in common? The answer is rooted in one of Georgia’s premier vacations spots, St. Simon’s Island. Apparently, oak timbers from St. Simon’s Island north side were used to build the USS Constitution in 1794. The wood was …