I’ve been waiting for Advent, which in turn is a season of waiting for Christmas, at the end of a year of So. Much. Waiting.We have all become semi-professional waiters. We’re waiting for the new normal. Waiting to go back to doing all the things. Waiting for the host to let us into the Zoom […]
Tag Archives: Lutheran
What story lives inside you?
I’d like to help you tell it not just for fun, but as a way to live your true calling. Maybe that means writing a book or a screenplay. I work with all sorts of authors and artists to both solidify their storyline (after all, I’m an actor and an English major) but also implement […]
Mirrors are for reflecting back our outer self as we make adjustments.
Mirrors are for reflecting back our outer self as we make adjustments. What mirror do you have for your inner self that helps you make adjustments?Sometimes we see ourselves in shows and movies and learn something that improves our lives. Sometimes we are more intentional with our inner life so we seek out books and […]
And just like that, the sun has set on my seventeenth year of living in New York City.
As I think of myself seventeen and eighteen years ago, I remember how hard it was to decide to leave what I had and move halfway across the country. I had a tight-knit community of friends in Minnesota, affectionately called our “Urban Tribe.” I enjoyed my youth ministry team and could have easily continued to […]
Isn’t it funny the things we end up missing because of the Coronavirus?
Isn’t it funny the things we end up missing because of the Coronavirus? What is one thing you took for granted and now miss?Here’s mine: I love to run into people when I didn’t expect it. I love it so much that I’d list it as one of my “favorite things” when the situation called […]
Onward with our “Would-Have-Beens.”
Ah, that “would have been” life. This would have been the opening night of my next (9th? 10th?) production of “Church Basement Ladies.” We all have a few “would have beens” right now. What are yours? Celebrate them. Mourn them. Maybe recreate a part of them. Perhaps I’ll fling a few peanuts through the air […]
The unexpected solutions are often the best answers.
This weekend is about hope. It’s about acknowledging that sometimes problems seem REALLY huge, but there will be a better future than we can even imagine. This year, we all imagine a future where we return to crowded public spaces or the promise of a hug from someone outside our quarantine buddies, but we don’t […]
Ask for help.
How do you ask for help when you need it? Or do you even ask? I’m headed back to the “Church Basement” next month. We haven’t done this particular “episode” of the series in 5 years, which means that this month is about memorizing. And asking people to help me memorize. I was talking with […]
Make joy, hope, and good news go viral.
One year ago, Milan welcomed me with open arms. This year, the region is on quarantine for coronavirus.You don’t want something to spread? Simply don’t allow those who have the thing to interact with those who do not have the thing.So what can we learn about things that we actually want to spread, like joy, […]
Start living your story. Even if it’s awkward.
Last night, we celebrated storytelling in America. Our main shared cultural story vehicle is film, and the Oscars are the most highly-acclaimed award associated with that storytelling.Stories are how we learn empathy. Stories are the conveyor of shared cultural values. Stories are the way our brains are wired to retain information. (They worked pretty well […]