“As #ELCA #Lutherans, we affirm that government and the order that just laws provide are gifts of God for our safety and well-being. This war does not represent the promotion of this just order but rather its failure.” www.elca.org/news/bishop-...

In your good providence, remove all causes and occasions of war. Incline the hearts of all people to follow the path to peace and concord, that war may cease and the day of reconciliation may come quickly, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. blogs.elca.org/worship/9501/

Eternal God, whose steadfast love never ends, we ask that you look upon the nations now engaged in war and hasten the day of peace. Look in mercy on those exposed to peril, conflict, sickness and death; and show compassion to the dying. blogs.elca.org/worship/9501/

Excellent advice right here.

ACTION ALERT “As the #ELCA, love of neighbor obligates us to act to prevent wars and to seek alternatives to them.” #war #Lutheran #peace #IranWarPowersResolution #S.J.Res.104 #H.Con.Res.38 Click here to contact your reps: act.elca.org/page/94825/a...

They shall not build and another inhabit;  they shall not plant and another eat, for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be. Before they call I will answer,  while they are yet speaking I will hear. —Isaiah 65

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit Into ev'ry troubled breast; Let us all in thee inherit, Let us find thy promised rest; Take away our love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith as its beginning, Set our hearts at liberty. —Charles Wesley

Byddwch lawen. Cadwch y ffydd. Gwnewch y pethau bychain. Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things. —St David of Wales

Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers. Protect me from those who are violent, who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked. Do not further their evil plot. —Psalm 140

“Some of my people are transgender, the actions of the Kansas Legislature over the past few weeks have hurt, demeaned, and targeted this already maligned and vulnerable population. “These are precious children of God whom I love.” #ELCA #Lutheran #Kansas #transgender

“Participants reflected on the dynamic nature of Lutheran identity, exploring how a shared Lutheran tradition is embodied through a diversity of languages, cultures, forms of worship, spirituality, service, and expressions of public witness.” lutheranworld.org/news/south-a...

“Shame on you for scapegoating immigrants in this country, blaming them for every single brokenness we have…” religionnews.com/2026/02/25/h...

…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. —2 Timothy 1

Gen A.I. barons want us talkinge alone on our phones to a demon thei created, and not goinge places and being wyth each othir yn art and joy and communitye. Thei want cinemas to shut downe and broadwaye to go darke. Thei want wryteres to stop writinge. Thei want to build hell and have us pay for it.

Save the planet from data centers. Don’t want AI results in your Google searches? Simply type -ai at the end of your search, like this: Where is Miriam buried? -ai No more AI results.

Faith means resisting cynicism in a situation that is objectively cynical. — Dorothee Sölle

ACTION ALERT When people have access to employment, housing and supportive services, they are far less likely to return to #prison. Contact your Rep today. #ELCA #Lutheran #SCRA act.elca.org/page/94484/a...

Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —Hebrews 4

“Pastoral care is the heart & soul of what our Pastors & Deacons are called to provide in their congregations & around the community,” Bishop Jen Nagel of the #ELCA #Minneapolis Area Synod said, “particularly during times of stress, grief, isolation, & transition.” religionnews.com/2026/02/23/f...

Many are the torments of the wicked,  but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. ‍Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,  and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. —Psalm 32

BOOK RECOMMENDATION Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren IVP, 2021

“Meanwhile, in the Midwest, a pastor who asked to be identified only as the Rev. Beth, to protect the immigrant families she serves, said her church has been housing asylum-seekers since 2023…” religionnews.com/2026/02/19/i...

“To now subject them to arrest and open-ended detention is a stunning betrayal of both our legal commitments and our moral compass…” www.globalrefuge.org/news/global-... #ELCA #Lutheran

…prayer is a tutor, not a performance. —Tish Harrison Warren

ACTION ALERT Native American leaders have called on denominations to do the work of finding all records of their involvement. #ELCA Truth-Seeking & Truth-Telling Initiative efforts began in earnest in fall 2022. We have a timely opportunity to urge the US to do the same. act.elca.org/page/94320/a...

Dust, remember you are splendor: in God’s image you were made; God’s own breath breathes in your breathing; God’s own hands shaped you of clay: noble, precious, and beloved, godliness in dust arrayed.

You are dust, and to dust you shall return.

“The recent push has sparked a constitutional debate: Critics on both sides say such measures infringe on the First Amendment right to free speech, even as supporters tout them as safeguards against those who would impede the free exercise of religion.” minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/17/r...

“About one-third of… white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants (8% Adherents and 27% Sympathizers)… adhere to these beliefs.” prri.org/research/map...

“We need more chutzpah, creativity, trust & connection,” said Osorto, the pastor of San Pablo/St. Paul Lutheran Church. “I think our collective work has been powerful & grounding for our communities to hear, because they could then imagine what it might be.” #ELCA religionnews.com/2026/02/16/b...

…a regular practice of prayer corrects our vision over time. —Tish Harrison Warren

Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” —Matthew 17

“She resigned after learning that the new church pastor intended to review the books.” julieroys.com/former-churc...

“The #ELCA groups protected are the New England Synod, Greater Milwaukee Synod, Southwest California Synod, Southwest Texas Synod, and Sierra Pacific Synod.” publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/judge-free...

“United in faith & rooted in love, the nine undersigned Christian denominations & orgs grieve the ongoing assaults on the dignity, rights & well-being of our immigrant members & neighbors through aggressive immigration enforcement & urge…” elcamediaresources.blob.core.windows.net/cdn/wp-conte...

Why do the nations conspire  and the peoples plot in vain? —Psalm 2

Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ —Matthew 25

“At least one other faith leader — the Rev. Hannah Kardon, a #UnitedMethodist minister — is also still facing state-level charges after she was arrested in a similar protest at the same location just weeks before the faith-led demonstration.” #UMC #ICE #DHS religionnews.com/2026/02/10/s...

Thus says the Lord: I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. —Amos 5

The needs in #Minnesota continue. linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? —Matthew 5

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. —Isaiah 58

Don’t miss this.

The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. —Isaiah 58

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. —Isaiah 58

“…the congress brought together young people from across Africa and the diaspora to confront issues that transcend borders, peace, ethical leadership, humanitarian responsibility, respect and advocacy.” www.livinglutheran.org/voices-of-fa...

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer. You shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. —Isaiah 58

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house? —Isaiah 58

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. —Elie Wiesel

The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. —C.S. Lewis