July 25 proved to be one of my favorite trips as we started the morning out with a Communion worship in the church in Bethphage (village at top of Mount of Olives; Mark 11:1) which Jesus and his disciples passed through on Palm Sunday. This village is adjacent to the village of Bethany, the hometown…
Sea of Galilee to Jordan River: 7/18 – 7/25/2019
We stayed in our second convent, the first located next to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Our second experience was the convent that housed the Mount of Beatitudes Church on its grounds near the Sea of Galilee. The view of the lake and the grounds around the convent were beautiful. The nine beatitudes…
Galilee and Samaria: 7.17.2019
It is Thursday and we just returned from our trip to Samaria. You might ask yourself, where are the Dahlseng’s now? I thought they are supposed to be in Israel this whole month. You are right. Samaria is the old Bible name for the area occupied by 10 of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Abraham…
Jerusalem-Bethlehem: 7.10.2019
Our month at Tantur Ecumenical Center began with a horizon tour of Jerusalem. The Tantur campus is located over the hill from the Mount of Olives and we are just about a mile from Bethlehem which is our view from the dining hall window. There are currently twelve of us in our month long study…
Israel: Third Wednesday
On Thursday, June 28, we flew from JFK (NYC) to Istanbul and ran to catch our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. 2 out of 3 bags made it with the short connection but our flights were uneventful. Turkish Air treated us very well. Entrance into Israel was a breeze, nothing like reentry into the US…
June 25, 2019: Second Wednesday
The Lilly Sabbatical Grant committee strongly encourages the importance of REST. It has taken a while, but I have settled into a new reality of rest and it feels GREAT! I love the people of Grace and almost always enjoy what my job (call) entails. Because I am confident in God, Pastor Woody and the…
First Wednesday 6.19.2019
God created us for community saying that it is good that we are not alone. Our first community is family and Jody and I are so blessed. Four kids, four spouses/partners and ten grandkids. Since about 1994, we have been going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a family. 2019 marks our twenty-fifth…
Last Day at Grace til September
All our bags are packed, we’re ready to go. We’ll be leaving on a jet plane – but we will be back on September 15. It has been a great week at Vacation Bible School. Pastor Woody Knutson has been working this week and getting ready to preach on Sunday – you will not want…
5 Days left.
What an incredible day last Sunday (6.9.2019). Confirmation Sunday/Pentecost Sunday was fantastic. The young adults, the 3 new adult members, the music, the prayers, the tears and meaningful words spoken by parents to their children made this a great day! It was my last sermon for three months. Now it is a full VBS week…
44 Days Left
I am so thankful for the call to serve with an amazing team, a strong leadership council and a eager congregation ready to serve God and our neighbors. These past 12 1/2 years together have been great for me, my family and our community. We have done NEW things well: Friday Fun Fest, Mobile Food…
Pastor Dahlseng's Sabbatical Journey 