Blogs And Devotionals (Page 3)

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Last week, I was invited to speak with the retired principals of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association (MESPA) on the subject of teen mental health. Having served for decades in public school systems, this group of principals shared my concern and care for students and their wellbeing.  There are many biological (genetic), psychological (chemical imbalances in the brain), and environmental (experiences of trauma) factors that can cause mental health issues. In fact, 1/5…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Why does the Church matter? What makes it relevant and important for us—2000 years after the time of Jesus? Our middle school students were invited to wonder about these questions last week as we discussed the Early Church and the New Testament. And while younger generations continue to be questioned—overly and unfairly—about their engagement in the church, they continue to show that God’s Spirit is alive and active within them.  According to our students,…

Families and Friends of Peace, Somehow, the calendar has already turned to October—which means that Trunk or Treat is just around the corner! On Sunday, October 27, from 3:30-4:30pm, we are so excited to welcome kids and families from all across our neighborhood and community for this event. With your help, we hope to greet everyone with joyous hospitality, which I’m sure will include plenty of candy, smiles, and laughs. For those new to Trunk or Treat, it is much like Trick or…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Parents, especially parents of teenagers, I’m undoubtedly sure you know that it can sometimes be very difficult to get your kids to open up, be talkative, or say nice things about you… There’s always that phase… But last night I asked our Confirmation students to write down important friends, important people they look up to, and important events from their life—and I think you’ll find their answers to be very encouraging.  When asked to share what…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This weekend during worship, we will be blessing and distributing Bibles to our third grade students at Peace.  Sharing the Word of God is one of the wonderful things we get to celebrate and do together as a congregation, and we do that tangibly twice for every child. When a baby is baptized here at Peace, they are gifted a Spark Story Bible, which is wonderful for reading throughout their childhood and in the early…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Thank you to everyone who made Gathering Sunday and our Fall Kickoff Festival so fun! It was heartwarming and energizing to see all the smiling faces, to hear all the laughs and good conversations, and to feel all of the positive and Spirit-filled energy as we begin the new ministry year together. As we move forward into the fall, there will be many more opportunities to grow in faith and in community—for all ages–and…