Above: Going to Church, 1960 (I’m the one wearing the black hat) ————————————- Clayton was a teenager in my congregation several years ago. He was a good boy and always did what his parents told him to do. His parents told him to go along to church with them every Sunday morning, and […]
3192) Making Memories Read More »
“What Will War Bring to Iran? Praying for a Country in Crisis” by March 5, 2026, by David Mathis, at: http://www.desiringgod.org ——————————————————- As the world watches Iran, Christians look on with another set of eyes. Wherever we reside, we watch and pray with a spiritual vision that transcends natural concerns and our own
3176) A Prayer for Iran Read More »
Above: Remote Russian village ————- In his book, The Insanity of Obedience, Nik Ripken (2014, pp. 279-287) tells about meeting Dmitri in the former USSR. Born of Christian parents, Dmitri found himself and his family living under communism in an area where the nearest church was a three-day walk away. He
3164) “What Church?” Read More »
The congregation I am a member of has called a new pastor. Today he will preach in our church for the first time. Our current pastor is retiring after faithfully leading these people for 35 years. The Call Committee has been planning, searching, and interviewing candidates for over a year and a half.
3121) Seeking the Perfect Pastor Read More »
A while back an old friend told me he didn’t go to church anymore. He said, “It’s the same old thing: ‘things are bad now,’ the preacher always says, ‘but someday Jesus will return and then everything will be better.’ I’ve heard it all before.” My friend knows I am a
3078) Advent… Again 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 »
Less than 25 years after Muslim terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people on 9/11, New York City, home of “ground zero,” just elected a Muslim as its next mayor. Some European cities are already majority Muslim, so what does this mean for America? Speaker and author Abdu Murray (pictured above) takes a closer look at Islam
3056) The Challenge of Islam Read More »
Sermon by Professor John Stensvaag, Luther Seminary Chapel, St. Paul, Minnesota, January 14, 1979 Text: Hebrews 12:1-3 — Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for
3046) A Great Cloud of Witnesses Read More »
One of the most common criticisms of the church is that it has too many hypocrites. To someone making this objection, I would say, “Are you kidding? Of course we have hypocrites. We also have liars, cheaters, snobs, adulterers, fornicators, people who are too greedy for their own good, crabby and ungrateful people,
3018) Too Many Hypocrites? Read More »
By N. T. Wright (1948- ), Simply Christian, 2006, Harper Collins, page 123. I use the word “church” with a somewhat heavy heart. I know that for many of my readers that very word will carry the overtones of large, dark buildings, pompous religious pronouncements, false solemnity, and rank hypocrisy. But there is no easy
