The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 focuses on distractions preventing Martha from listening and honoring Jesus. Jesus visited their home. Mary chose to spend time with Jesus, listening to his teachings and interacting. Martha chose to do housework and perhaps…

Linda and I spent a month touring Europe this summer. We anticipated a wave of discomfort because of the global immigration demands for life and safety. We anticipated verbal antagonisms and increased gun visibility by persons and authorities. We anticipated the isolation of…

I asked a question on my FACEBOOK page inviting comments about home gun safety. A lawyer did not grow up with guns in the home. She married someone who liked to hunt and thereby provided food for the freezer! He taught their boys…

As of the end of May 2019 there have been 148 mass shootings, 149 killed and 585 wounded in the USA. For comparison, in the USA, 2018 brought us 340 mass shootings, 14,751 deaths and 28,188 injured according to Gun Violence Archive. Other…

Disappointment describes my feelings after the Minnesota Legislature failed to pass two gun bills focused on gun safety: Comprehensive Background Checks and Red Flag (Extreme Risk Protective Orders). Analytics of these bills prove they save lives. See: protectmn.org, thetrace.org, engageelca.org. But as the…

The expression is “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” The bi-partisan Conference Committee met yesterday to debate two public health gun safety bills: Comprehensive Background Checks and Red Flag. See earlier blogs for descriptions. After three hours of debate a vote…

Another school shooting. Highlands Ranch, Colorado. In the USA, a school shooting occurs every 12 days. Everytown reports there have been at least 41 incidents of gunfire at schools in 2019. PSALM 23 provides balance for this day. “Even though I walk through…

The Second Amendment is sacrosanct to gun owners. However, there are caveats. The amendment begins with a focus on “militias.” This sets the context. Why militias? 1) The Southern slave states wanted militias to be able to control the slave population; 2) Since…

Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter, falls on 20 April in 2019. Another date of infamy. Hitler’s birthday and the 20th Anniversary of Columbine. Bishop Eaton of the ELCA, describes Holy Saturday thusly: “We are given this holy space to…

The State of Colorado recently passed a “Red Flag Law” that allows family members and concerned people to appeal to a judge to have a firearm temporarily removed from a person who is a danger to themself and others. The key word is…