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Author Archives: John
Pentecost 23 A: Arming Ourselves for Peace
The second lesson for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost is 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that … Continue reading
Pentecost 20 A: The Death of Death.
Isaiah 25 O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 2 For you have made the city a heap, the … Continue reading
Posted in Church, Featured, John's Posts, Reflections on Sunday Readings
Tagged death, funerals, Gaza, Hamas, Isaiah, Israel, peace, revenge
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Sunshine, Alfalfa, and Max
Hooray for sun, alfalfa, and Max. Today was a day of somber thoughts for our family of faith at St. Luke Lutheran Church. I’m back helping to give pastoral care, preaching, and worship leadership after a dozen years retirement. It … Continue reading
Posted in Border Collies, Faith, Farm Diary, Featured, John's Posts
Tagged alfalfa, autumn, grief, Max, St. Luke Lutheran Church, sun, sunset, twilight, war
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Betty Back from the Brink
Life with many animals on a livestock farm is full of emotional highs and lows. Loving life is no guarantee of happy times, but loving life means life is thick with feeling. Thick with a joy that is more nuanced … Continue reading
Posted in Border Collies, Farm Diary, Featured, John's Posts
Tagged abundant life, Betty, Border Collies, emotions, veterinarians
1 Comment
Farewell to Bilbo
Frodo was the best of mentors to four-month-old Bilbo nine years ago. Photo by John It is a heavy thing to be responsible for an animal. So, for weeks I had a weight on my chest and uneasy sleep because … Continue reading
Posted in Farm Diary, Featured, John's Posts, Sheep
Tagged bilbo, death, Frodo, livestock guardian dog
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Hawk Calling from the Cross
Refreshed. Wine and bread, blood and body. Coffee and hugs, chatting and loving. We then stepped out into dazzling light and wakening breeze to hear the shriek. And then another, and another. This dramatic shriek is the same they put … Continue reading
Posted in Church, Farm Diary, Featured, John's Posts
Tagged Church, cross, red tailed hawk, Salem Lutheran Church
1 Comment
Burying My Hatchet with the LC-MS and Biblical Inerrancy
This morning I grew nostalgic and Googled my old Pilgrim Lutheran congregation in Louisville, Kentucky, which is now Resurrection Lutheran. This was the congregation I was part of as I came to an awakening of faith and a quickening of … Continue reading
Posted in Church, Faith, Featured, John's Posts
Tagged 1 Corinthians, Bible, inerrancy, LCMS, Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, Resurrection Lutheran Church, unity
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Spot and a Still Small Voice
In my early days with sheep herding dogs, I thought the only way of getting through to them was through my voice….and the louder the better. You see you train dogs in a big open field; and the sheep start … Continue reading
Posted in Border Collies, Church and Social Movements, Farm Diary, Featured, John's Posts, Social Political Issues, Spirituality
Tagged Aled Owen, Elijah, forgiveness, Gordon Watt, Jonah, Sheepdogs, Spot, training, will, zeal
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Nothing Wasted
I notice those two dead spruce trees. Should I cut them down. They take up space. They are untidy. But, the mourning dove is there now, cooing. And the red winged black bird trilling; and armies of ants up and … Continue reading
Posted in Farm Diary, Featured, Free Range Philosophy, John's Posts, Spirituality
Tagged children, distraction, ecology, family, meaning, pines, waste
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Starling Feathers
On the tall maple tree on the south side of our house hangs several bird feeders. Every morning I stand at the window and watch the swarming. My eyes search for the downy woodpeckers, the chickadees, and the flashy male … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Farm Diary, Featured, John's Posts
Tagged birds, diversity, John Updike, murmuration, Pigeon Feathers, prejudice, racism, starlings
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