Recent Posts

  • Taanit 20

    Some Jewish scribes have a custom to never write a sefer Torah with a metal implement because metal is an instrument of war. Rather, a Torah scroll is written with a goose feather quill or a reed because these materials are soft, pliant. It’s an interesting idea — that the

  • November Update: UN and State Edition

    Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available. U.N. | Colorado | Minnesota | Texas | Washington   U.N. Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC),

  • Prayer ventures: Nov. 28

    Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Sunday,

  • Taanit 17

    As we learned back in Tractate Sukkah, the priests who served in the Temple were divided into 24 groups, or watches, that served for a week at a time. Each watch was further divided into families, and each family was assigned to perform the Temple service on a particular day

  • The Gobsmacking Wisdom of the Book of Judges

    When you think of the biblical book of Judges what comes to mind? Perhaps some distant memory of a dreadlocked hulk, eyes gouged out, pulling down pillars because his girlfriend never really loved him? Might there be something about human sacrifice? Or, is it the people doing what is right