LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR FEBRUARY 2026
UNIMAGINABLE, AMAZING GRACE by Dennis D. Nelson I had heard that the musical “Hamilton,” based upon the life of Alexander Hamilton, was good. Until I went to see a movie…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR DECEMBER 2025
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR DECEMBER 2025
YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF One of the best-known Christmas stories of all time is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss. The Grinch was not happy.…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – OCTOBER 2025
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – OCTOBER 2025
A FAITH FOR THE STORMS During my lifetime I have witnessed several high-profile assassinations. I was in high school when President John F. Kennedy was shot. I was in college…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2025
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2025
IT WAS BAD, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE: REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE 2025 ELCA CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2025
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2025
AN ANALYSIS OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTSÂ COMING FROM THE CHURCH COUNCILÂ TO THE 2025 ELCA CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY: THE ELCA MUST NOT VALUE TRUSTÂ AND MUST NOT KNOW HOW TO BUILD TRUST by Dennis D.…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – FEBRUARY 2025
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – FEBRUARY 2025
CANCEL CULTURE STRIKES AGAIN Last month there was a discussion in the ELCA Clergy Facebook group where one person mentioned concerns that had been shared by a member of the…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – DECEMBER 2024
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – DECEMBER 2024
A “MARY” CHRISTMAS Christmas is filled with things that take your breath away. In fact, one person went so far as to say that life at its best is measured…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – OCTOBER 2024
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – OCTOBER 2024
“MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU” The first time I began to really understand and value Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians was during my second year of seminary. It…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2024
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2024
WOE TO THE SHEPHERDS The First Reading for July 21, the day after the conclusion of the ELCA Youth Gathering, was from Jeremiah 23. In verse 1 the Lord says…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – JUNE 2024
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – JUNE 2024
THE COMMISSION FOR A RENEWED LUTHERAN CHURCH: HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE The ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) was formed in response to action taken by the ELCA’s 2022…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2024
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2024
“WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED?” The Gospel reading from Luke 24 for April 14, the Third Sunday of Easter, tells of an incident that happened on Easter Sunday evening – after…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – FEBRUARY 2024
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – FEBRUARY 2024
RUNAWAY TRAIN A pastor colleague recently wrote to me regarding the ELCA – “The question remains as to whether this progressive freight train has any brakes at all.” I replied,…
Letter from the Director – December 2023
Letter from the Director – December 2023
YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD This Christmas season we hear again what the angel said to the shepherds, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all people:…
Letter from the Director – October 2023
Letter from the Director – October 2023
SINCE GOD IS FOR US I am a Phoenix Symphony groupee. I feel very fortunate to live in a metropolitan area that has a symphony orchestra of the quality of…
Letter from the Director – August 2023
Letter from the Director – August 2023
WILL YOUR CHURCH BE NEXT? There are three things that I would like to say as follow up to my last two articles about two ELCA congregations where their respective…
Letter from the Director – Summer 2023
Letter from the Director – Summer 2023
WE ARE ALL VULNERABLE There have been many occasions when someone who is a member of a congregation that is still in the ELCA has shared with me, “I have…
Letter From The Director – April 2023
Letter From The Director – April 2023
My Heart Will Go On On April 14, 1912, at 11: 40 PM ship time, the British passenger liner, the RMS Titanic, hit an iceberg, which caused her hull plates…
Letter From the Director – February 2023
Letter From the Director – February 2023
THE WRONG QUESTION:  A REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF A FORMER ELCA SEMINARY PRESIDENT’S THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS  The second reading for the Sundays of the Epiphany season have been…
Letter From the Director – December 2022
Letter From the Director – December 2022
ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS? Editor's Note: This Lightstock image used for this post is described as a "Fresco painting of the Nativity, from the chapel of the Shepherd's Field…
Letter From The Director – October 2022
Letter From The Director – October 2022
IT SHOULD NOT SURPRISE ANYONE It should not surprise anyone that a movement is developing to get the ELCA to commit a massive breach of trust and to eliminate any…
Letter From The Director – August 2022
Letter From The Director – August 2022
THE REVISIONISTS HAVE COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER: A REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF THE ELCA CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY The ELCA held its Churchwide Assembly August 8-12 in Columbus, Ohio. The gathering sent a…
Letter From The Director – June 2022
Letter From The Director – June 2022
AN ANALYSIS OF RECENT EVENTS IN THE ELCA’S SIERRA PACIFIC SYNOD For years I have been writing articles about the ELCA – often with the subtitle, “What Will It Be…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2022
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2022
FIVE RESPONSES TO AN EMPTY TOMB In Luke’s account of Easter Sunday morning the Gospel writer records four responses to the empty tomb. First, being perplexed. The women found the…
Letter from the Director – February 2022
Letter from the Director – February 2022
HOW DID IT HAPPEN? THE ELCA AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING – PART TWO Introduction For the January 2022 issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, I wrote the first part of a…
Letter from the Director – December 2021
Letter from the Director – December 2021
THE THINGS IN MARY’S HEART I’ve always liked the way in which the Gospel writer Luke concludes his version of the Christmas story by telling us that Mary kept all…
Letter From the Director – October 2021
Letter From the Director – October 2021
WHAT WILL IT BE NEXT? There are two things we know for sure about the ELCA. First, they will always give us plenty to write about. And second, they will…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2021
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2021
HOPE AND LIFE GIVING I live in the Sonoran Desert about forty miles northeast of downtown Phoenix. The Sonoran has been called the greenest desert in the world, because we…
Letter from the Director – June 2021
Letter from the Director – June 2021
THANKING GOD FOR SEEING US THROUGH I experience great joy as pastors tell me of their congregations’ being able to resume in person worship services. Many are again having delightful…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2021
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2021
“WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED?” Are you a worrier? Do you know someone who is a worrier? Are you married to someone who is a worrier? I know that for me…
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – FEBRUARY 2021
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – FEBRUARY 2021
There are three things I would like to talk about in this letter. The first one is something I would highly recommend. The other two are matters of great concern.…
