Northern Crossings

Luther called the church a “mouth house” and by that he meant a place where a lot of speking goes on.  God speaks and we listen.  God speaks and we respond with our own s Luther writes: “Our pastor steps before...

One of the those disconnected voices on the radio can bring you out of whatever stupor you may be in very quickly.  I don’t know who it was, but I believe it was an official from Paradise CA, maybe even the Mayor. The...

People celebrated Veteran’s Day yesterday and it was also my birthday. Thanks to all those who remembered my birthday yesterday.  I even got a late night serenade of the birthday song from some merry pranksters who shall...

Just when I thought the curmudgeon was calming down another birthday rolls around and idiocy ensues,  There is just too much stuff out there to keep curmudgeonliness quiet.  There are so many glittering gems of idiocy out there...

So we are still moving through the church year and were approaching the time when we think about the end of the age and the coming of Christ to judge the world. That really should be front and center in our minds most of the...

I wrote this for our local newspaper section called the Pastor’s Desk “October/November Song – The Long Slog” I call it the long slog.  This is the Pastor’s Desk and so from my desk perspective this is the long slog.  For...

I blogged about the Kay Lee we had the night before the Reformation, Mission, Mercy Worship service on Reformation Day in which Rev. Fondow preached in the morning and President Matthew Harrison preached in the afternoon.  At...

Jack was born on March 4, 1947 to Andy Anderson in Valley City, ND. At the age of about 3 months Jack was adopted by Ethel and Arthur Stronstad. After being raised as an only child, finding his biological family later in life...

So between Reformation and All Saints I had the funeral for Donna Niemann and tomorrow I have another funeral.  The memory of funerals past and the connection with the Jordan River and the promised land for the Israelite and the...

Getting ready for a funeral and thinking of all the symbolism behind that Christian tradition.  My favorite old hymn for funerals was “How Firm a Foundation” with the old melody and one verse especially – “When...

The next few days is all about memories. All Saints Day was yesterday, but we will celebrate it, and use that as the theme of our worship this Sunday, November 4. It is the Sunday when we remember our blessed dead and those who...

Today is All Saint’s Day.  We remember and celebrate the lives of those who have gone ahead of us in the faith and whose memory lives among us even as we look forward to seeing them again at the throne of the Lamb whose...

Here is the comfort dog Ernie.  Like good Lutherans everywhere he does not want attention.  We have to hold his head to get his picture.  He was at the Dakota Girls and Boys Ranch and he is beautiful. This has been a wonderful...

The Scots and the Irish have a great tradition called a Ceilidh, and by some trick of linguistic legerdemain it is pronounced Kaylee.  It is a time when folks get together and sing the old songs and tell the old tales.  Much of...