“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You
Today’s Reading: Read Proverbs 6:6-23; Proverbs 7:1-3; Proverbs 8 Imagine crossing a road without looking first to see if there were any cars coming. Would that be a wise choice or not? Most definitely not wise (or safe!)! In our reading today, we are reminded the importance of making wise
The Great Dechurching Will Hurt Poor People Members of mainline denominations as a percentage of the US population have dropped to the single digits. That’s bad news for the poor and vulnerable. 3 Touchstones of Welcoming Newcomers Today What was once perceived as welcoming may no longer resonate with the
If contemporary relativism is a Lebensgefühl in which the feeling of the desire for truth and objectivity on fundamental life questions is frustrated by the feeling that such a desire is impossible or childish, then only a philosophical therapy can heal this existential state of self-doubt, can transport a person
In recent decades there have been many thoughtful attempts to look beyond liberal political theory for a more satisfactory understanding of political life, and to find resources for combatting the radical individualism, moral relativism, and hedonistic self-gratification to which liberalism’s theories of individual rights and human autonomy may all too
Every time I drive past anyone’s messy garage, Dear Sister-Out-There-Somewhere, I think of your simple story from more than a decade ago that has changed all of my prayers since. Oh how I needed your mention of your messy garage! Forgive me that I can’t remember your name, or where
Dear youth leader, As you prepare for the Gathering, you might be feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety. The task of planning and leading a trip for your group can be daunting, especially knowing that thousands of youth and their leaders from various congregations across the ELCA will be
Today’s Reading: Read Psalm I Kings 3:4-14; II Chronicles 1:7-12; Psalm 72 If you could ask God for anything at all, what would you ask for? A room full of ice cream? All the money in the world? It’s kind of silly to think about that, isn’t it? Solomon had