I've increasingly come to the conclusion that the real reason God has called me to this work as Bishop is to stretch people, increase flexibility and push the norms. To that end, I recruited 8 people from our new Synod Worship, Preaching & Spiritual Life team to travel with me to the Calvin University Worship Symposium this week. Yes, Lutherans at a Pan-Christian event sponsored by Calvinists. (I may soon be deposed, defrocked & dethroned for such heresy).

We had a few days of soaking in a whole range of perspectives that challenged us, irritated us, inspired us and, for me renewed my hope going forward. This event was far more diverse in age, race and denominational representation than most similar events. Ironically, I heard more Luther and Bonhoeffer quotes from Baptist preachers than typical. I learned from Honduran Baptists, Brazilian Lutherans, African American Church of God.

I sang my heart out and clapped my hands to the pounding drums of Urban Gospel Hip Hop, laughed with colleagues, deconstructed and reconstructed ideas around worship and preaching.

There is no simple conclusion other than the church is better, richer and healthier when we are standing in the varied streams of our multiple expressions.