Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ at St. James,
A long time ago, my Father told that a good sermon was one that gave him something to 'put in his pocket' for later in the week. He rolled tires in a warehouse and needed something to nurture his faith mid-week. Growing up, I was inspired by his faith witness and need for down-to-earth spiritual growth. It continues to inspire me today.
Writing has played an important role in my public ministry: Weekly Ministry Moments, blogs from Sabbatical travels, Advent and Lent devotionals all have been vehicles for preaching and teaching about the good news of Jesus Christ. Both the audience of this writing and the time taken to produce it has grown and evolved beyond expectations. Increasingly, I am spending more and more personal time with this work. To date, I have been personally funding my daily devotions and blogs. It has taken on a life of its own and the time has come to give it is own space.
This spring I am launching a new online business venture called, "Light From This Hill."
My goal is to provide inspirational resources that will Shine a Little Light on Your Path to a growing number of people. Light From This Hill will operate as an online company offering subscriptions to daily devotions sent right to your email inbox.
As I will be doing this work on my own time (nights, weekends, and free-time), there will be no official connection with St. James Lutheran Church. I will not use St. James website, St. James Facebook Page or the church bulletin to promote my business. I am sending this email through St. James electronic channels with the blessing of the Council for the purpose of setting a boundary upfront. I wanted to let you know what I'm doing.
As Pastor of St. James, I will continue to provide access to devotional materials during the seasons of Advent and Lent at no cost to the church or to you. For those who subscribe during these times, I will offer additional opportunities to read other devotional series throughout the year. My intent is to provide free-will subscriptions to these additional series to cover my personal costs and fund additional devotional and educational resources.
In celebration of this new venture, I am offering 50 Days of Easter Prayers for a free-will donation. All monies gathered, less the small credit card processing fees, will be passed on to St. James Lutheran's MN Foodshare effort. More information is available on my website: Light From This Hill (click here).
Blessings to you during this Holy Week,
In Christ,
Pastor Walt