This is the Rev. Maurice L. Haehlen. He was the pastor of the church I serve from 1962 until 1970 and there isn’t a week that goes by that I am not compared to him. You see, Maurice was quite… Continue reading

Some times I feel discouraged,And think my work’s in vain,But then the Holy SpiritRevives my soul again. Though we sang this refrain in both the early and the late worship service yesterday, it wasn’t until the second service where the… Continue reading

I couldn’t think of anything to say but I sat there. I sat there by her bedside and I held her hand. I whispered prayers for her — praying for light and assurance and for peace. I thought that she… Continue reading

They think they own you. That’s what she said at the end of our visit. She wanted me to know that she understood the weirdness of the work that pastors do. She is, after all, a preacher’s kid. She’s lived… Continue reading

Yesterday, I took some of my favorite kids to an afternoon movie. I had heard about this movie through an interview on NPR and was particularly interested in two things: first, it’s a musical (and I love a musical) and… Continue reading

I remember — in fact I told this story yesterday — when my preaching professor in seminary told us not to preach two hard sermons in a row. It’s just too much. People can’t take it. And I’ve abided by… Continue reading

A few weeks ago, as one of our youth sat beside me in worship, she asked me about my blog. She wanted to know if it was for me or for the church. I told her in that moment before… Continue reading

My friend Martha is all excited that this candle lighting liturgy she wrote is being used in 122 churches across the world. She even mapped it. I said it to her and I’ll say it again: it’s an ecumenical wonder.… Continue reading

Last Sunday, we had an important meeting at church. Long before I arrived as the pastor, this congregation has been trying to figure out what to do with the building. Buildings are a challenge for churches. We can’t imagine life… Continue reading

There was a moment on Wednesday morning when it felt like she was there. Or she should have been there because our conversation had turned in a direction that she would have offered one of her priceless one-liners. In that… Continue reading