From her perch along Minnesota’s North Shore, Anna Madsen serves as an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in the capacity of a public theologian.  She writes books, blogs, and articles; presents; consults; and hosts the Spent Dandelion Theological Retreat Center.  

Her vocational focus shifted when, after earning her Ph.D. in Regensburg Germany, studying God and suffering, an accident killed her husband and caused a traumatic brain injury in her young son Karl.  Her daughter Else was all of 8 months old.  

With this unwelcome lived experience of suffering, Anna has sought to provide a safe space for people to ask questions, wrestle with faith, find quiet, and strive to advocate for those who also suffer in many and various ways . 

She also happens to be a fan of joy, because what annoys death more than delight? 

You can find her latest books, I Can Do No Other: The Church’s New Here I Stand Moment, and Joyful Defiance: Death Does Not Win the Day, at Amazon and other booksellers, of course! 

And you can find her at her retreat, where, with every night you stay, an hour of conversation—to be stewarded and take place as suits you best—is included.  

Of course, All Are Welcome.  🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️