   (…continued) Funeral for Ora Casdorph, March 31, 1997, Stover, Missouri:    This is a difficult sermon for me to preach, difficult because I did not know Mr. Casdorph well at all. I visited him a few times at the request of his sister, my friend and parishioner, Mabel Schupp.    For […]
3198) Two Old Friends (2/2) Read More »
    In my forty years as a pastor I visited many people in their last years, months, and days. Many of these people were in nursing homes, or were shut-ins in their own home. For some, my monthly visit would be their only visitor. These people, who at one time were busy raising families, farming
3197) Two Old Friends (1/2) Read More »
By Al Rogness, from The Word for Every Day, 1981, Augsburg Publishing House, page 234. Â Â Â The Christian church really has but one book. Â Of course thousands of books have been written about the faith, but all draw from one book, the Bible. Â The Bible is the basis for our faith. Â Â Â We
    The 1995 movie A Walk in the Clouds begins with scenes of a young married couple separated by war.  He is in Europe fighting with the United States Army in World War II.  She is back home going out with other men.  The film shows him in the thick of the fighting but
3143) Reading What Has Been Written For Us Read More »
   Each New Year’s Day, as does each birthday, brings with it the unsettling reminder that another year is gone.  I would guess that everyone (after a certain age, anyway) thinks about that at least a little bit.  We get only so many years here, and these annual reminders seem to come around faster
3111) A Psalm, a Hymn, and a Prayer for New Year’s Day Read More »
Above painting: St. John the Baptist and the Pharisees, by James Tissot (1836-1902) —————————————    For those congregations that follow the Church Year calendar, the first Sunday or two in Advent each year have, as the assigned Gospel reading, something from the life of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the older cousin
3095) Nothing to Lose Read More »
Above: The cover of an early edition of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism —————     In his 39 years as a pastor and reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546) published an incredible number of books, treatises, sermons, and other writings. Page after page poured forth, as Luther powerfully proclaimed the Gospel. There are 120 volumes in the German
3072) Martin Luther’s Small Catechism Read More »
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Â Â Â One of the toughest tough guys of all time was Ernest Hemingway. Â He was a soldier, adventurer, big-game hunter, and deep-sea fisherman. Â Hemingway was also a ladies man, world-class drinker, fearless bar-room brawler, and in his spare time, a writer, and winner of both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes for
3034) The Key to the Bible Read More »
In yesterday’s Emailmeditation you were introduced to “The John 10:10 Project.” Today, I am sending four more samples. Watch these, and then visit their website for more: John 10:10 Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheJohn1010Project The John 10:10 Project website: https://thejohn1010project.com ————————————— From now on, every time I see a Monarch butterfly, I will be reminded of this
3011) More From The John 10:10 Project Read More »
Above painting:  Jesus’ Interview with Nicodemus, James Tissot (1836-1902) ******************************      (…continued)  The positive influence of the missionaries is seen in a story that takes place many years after Abner Hale and the first generation of Christian missionaries had died. It is the story of a Hawaiian husband and wife who lived in an old shack back
2977) Why I Like Nicodemus (3/3) Read More »
