Pastor Shelley Cunningham of Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn., has a long and rich relationship with Luther Seminary that stretches back two decades.
Cunningham began attending seminary in August 1994. Since she had a previous background in journalism before seminary, she quickly gravitated to a part-time job with the communications department, a position that at times stretched into a 40-hour-a-week effort.
It was through Cunningham’s longtime relationship with the communications department that she was first tapped to author a number of the daily God Pause devotionals after her graduation in 1998.
God Pause devotionals, which began in 2003, are brief, 150-word reflections on an aspect of Scripture written by Luther Seminary alumni and delivered daily via email to a wide variety of people who wish to forge a deeper relationship with God through these meditations.
“God Pause readers are very loyal, and they pay a lot of attention” to the messages contained within the daily devotional, Cunningham says. (She also notes that her most recent position at her Rochester church came about directly because a parishioner was very moved and inspired by Cunningham’s writings, and suggested her name to the call committee.)
Cunningham, 43, is one of four pastors at 3,200-member Zumbro Lutheran. She also continues to be a popular and prolific author of God Pause devotionals and other inspirational material for the seminary. In fact, she most recently authored the 2014 Advent devotionals for the seminary.
This year’s Advent reflections are titled “Your People Long to Greet You.”
The collection focuses on a different topic each week, Cunningham says. The first week’s theme is relationships, the second is anticipation, the third is love and the final week’s theme is rejoicing.
“Advent is one of the richest seasons of the year,” Cunningham says. “From the faith perspective, it’s a wonderful time for us to focus and reorient our perspective as to what God is really doing in the world. These devotionals are a wonderful resource and are important because life is so quickly lived without something to help us focus on what God is doing in our life.”
Each Advent devotional can be downloaded and printed as many times as users wish, which allows pastors to distribute them to their congregations, as well as through other outlets. During Advent, the daily God Pause devotions will match those of the Advent devotionals.
The Advent devotionals are available for download now. You can find them at www.luthersem.edu/advent. To sign up for God Pause daily devotions, visit www.luthersem.edu/godpause.