Welcome Mats
Here, we love to throw parties, Tell stories, find hope, and Practice the ways for Jesus As best we can. We’re all hurt or hungry in our own ways. We’re […]
Advent Week #2-Jesus’ Justice and Peace
For Advent we are going to write about the justice the birth of Jesus brings into the world, reflecting on Jesus’ justice through the themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, […]
Pride is a Protest
While living in New York, my wife, Sarah, and I went to the Stonewall Inn for a drink. Like others before us, we sat at the bar, held hands publicly […]
Gun Violence is Everyone’s Problem
Before coming to work at the Festival Center I lived in the New York City area. One summer my sister came to visit me for a girl’s weekend. One of […]
The Harm of Purity Culture
I grew up in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and from a very young age I was exposed to purity culture. In junior high I signed a pledge that I would […]
All Are Welcome?
I’ve never been one for “all are welcome” signs. When I see one, usually on a church building, I jokingly ask if anyone found the asterisk indicating who exactly is […]
Light in the Darkness
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a week among the Lakota people at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. While on the reservation I learned […]