    I read one time the true story of a college senior who sat alone in her room late one Saturday night, contemplating suicide. At just 22 years old, Patti was tired of life. She had already felt like she had tried everything, and was still sad and hopeless. She could not find happiness. She […]
3230) Ecclesiastes? Who Needs It? (1/2) Read More »
   One of the most familiar, best loved, and most often quoted books in the Bible is the Psalms. Right after that in the Old Testament Table of Contents you will find the book of Proverbs, also familiar to many and often quoted. And right after Proverbs is Ecclesiastes, a book not as familiar
3229) An Ecclesiastes Sampler Read More »
Above:Â Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth —————— Â Â Â Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were teammates on the great New York Yankee teams of the 1920’s and 30’s. Â Both were superstars, two of the greatest hitters who ever played the game. Â They took turns leading the league in home runs and batting average, as they
3212) Mark, Peter, Lou, and the Babe Read More »
   (…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 »
