A wise football coach once said, “doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.” Faith Lutheran will again expect everyone to be masked indoors in accordance with the Minnesota Department of Health and CDC guidelines. It’s the right thing to do. This decision comes down to...
On Friday, May 28th, I was in a classroom during Chaplain Basic Training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. One of the instructors announced that everyone who had been fully vaccinated could take their masks off. The 90 students started to look around. About half of us could see each...
Our school year kicks off with a special day! “Rally Day” is our Faith Fall Kickoff with carnival games and a meal after worship. During worship, we will celebrate Christmas in August—hear the good news of the birth of our Savior in Bethlehem. Then, in the month of September...
The last two weeks, I’ve referenced our mission and vision statements in my sermons. It is important to remember what we are doing as a church and what guides our decision-making process. These statements, adopted during our annual meeting January 27, 2019, help articulate our...
When I was 14, I fell in love… with the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. Each summer, my church youth group from Sioux Falls, SD would make the eight hour trek up to Camp Vermilion near Cook, MN to spend a week canoeing and portaging in the wilderness. The Boundary Waters presented...
After a month of Chaplain Basic Training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC, I have a new appreciation for those who have answered the call to military service in the past and present. While my training as an officer was not as strenuous as a newly enlisted soldier faces, the tasks I had to...
Images from the US Army Chaplain Corps Memorial from Pastor John, while he spends time at chaplain basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina
When I see members of Faith out in the community, a question I hear is “when are we coming back to church?” or "Can I come back to church?" This is sometimes followed by a “church X has a full parking lot on Sundays.” I miss the days of full parking lots and a full...
In the five years of being at Faith, you have taught me so much about life. I’ve grown in my own pastoral identity and my theological grounding. This church continues to amaze me with our depth of reaching out to our community and the world. I’m proud to serve with you. You lift each...
Below is Pastor John's monthly column for the Forest Lake Times. I spend a lot of time in my car listening to KFAN. This is a sports radio channel and one of the daily shows is hosted by Paul Allen, the radio voice of the Minnesota Vikings. PA frequently plays a quote by Vikings head coach Mike...