This past weekend my wife and I drove to New Ulm for homecoming at Martin Luther College. In the span of a few days, we experienced one blessing after another. One of those blessings was ...
On Sunday morning, do you ever watch your members as they arrive for worship? Do they come by car? By bicycle? On foot? When I served as a pastor in Japan, people came by all ...
As pastors we serve the people entrusted to our care. We also serve each other, in various ways, including these: word-and-deed encouragement to each other and prayers for each other. Psalm 112 is a beautiful ...
Let’s begin with a riddle: Which part of the Old Testament has seven verses in a row beginning with a Hiphil imperative and then one verse beginning with a Hebrew word often translated “behold”? Hinneh, ...
Psalm 66 has a step-like structure with three parts (strophes), but the order of them is unique. While most psalms begin with the individual and then broaden to include others, Psalm 66 starts with the ...
“This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118 tells an amazing story. The story of a day. The story of a week. The story of ...
I love the first four Sundays in Easter. On Easter we marvel at the words of the angels, “He has risen just as he said!” The following week we anticipate and rejoice in Thomas’ response, ...
“A pastor needs to be reading his Bible and the newspaper every day. Then in his preaching and teaching he will be able to bring the Word of God to bear on the events and ...
As much as I would like the people around me to think that my life is happy, healthy, and joyfully productive, there are reminders everywhere (it seems) that my life is a mess. My house, ...
Last year our seminary family gathered for worship in the gymnasium; this year, in the chapel. There is a noticeable difference in the acoustics between the two buildings. The songs in the chapel sound beautiful ...