As I mentioned in my last letter, this year marks the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. One of the major reforms that came out of this Reformation was the practice of reading Scripture in one’s own native language. Martin Luther believed that if God’s Word was going to be accessible to God’s people, then it needed to be translated into the people's native…
Dear Salem Family,
Community is messy. Being in relationship with people is messy. Loving others is messy. If I’ve learned anything from my therapeutic background, and my many jobs of working with people, is that we are messy beings. There isn’t a stock way of dealing with people. We need to get to know people and seek to understand others as we interact with them. There is a clear correlation…
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Over the past week I had the privilege to journey with 105 students and adult leaders from five congregations on a mystery mission trip. Our mission brought us to the…
Posted by hlewis |
I am not a gardener. I have memories of my parents’ beautiful vegetable garden, eating snow peas off the vine and dripping in strawberry juice, and my brother’s height being compared to huge zucchinis. I thoroughly enjoy others’ landscaping and flowers, but if a plant needs much tending, you probably won’t find it in my yard — I am excited to just be able to grow grass.
This…
As you most likely know, this year we are commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Legend proclaims that, on October 31, 1517, a young German monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. These theses, or statements, were actually a list of 95 propositions that Luther wished to debate to help reform…
Dear Salem Family,
I read an article the other day and this quote hit me and stuck with me for days, “The problem isn’t when Christians disagree, it’s when they lose the ability to disagree without dialogue. It’s when they lose the ability to welcome diversity of thought. The Church has become a members-only club, defined by the narrowest of doctrines and a singular understanding…
9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1: 9 (NRSV)
The VBS week has been an amazing experience for all involved. Our awesome adult leaders have been teaching, leading, playing music, serving food, and so much more. Our middle and senior high students have been leading…
Posted by hlewis |
My youngest turns 6 this week, and I made a little photo album of her dance pictures in the last 3 years. It’s so fun to flip the pages and watch her grow in confidence and grace! Many of you know that I’m a nut about pictures: I’m not one of those parents who says “it goes by so fast!” as I have pictures of so many sweet moments to prove exactly how long it’s been.
My oldest…
This past Sunday, June 4, we read in John’s gospel: “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you'” (John 20:19). As I noted in my sermon, Jesus’ words, “Peace be with you,” are more than just a greeting; they are…
Dear Salem Family,
We dwell in the word in staff meetings on the text two weeks out. And this week I was struck by something in the Matthew text, Matthew 28:16-20, 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him,…