This is part two of an eight-part series of posts based on a selection of readings from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There was once a woman who, due to advanced age and some pretty significant health issues, ended up becoming homebound. The pastor of her congregation would come to visit her regularly.…
The schedule of readings that our church follows calls for eight consecutive Sundays of readings from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians this summer. This is part one of a series of posts based on these eight readings from Ephesians. First, a little bit about the letter. It is one of four letters that Paul wrote…
August 10 is the day the church honors St. Lawrence, a saint who lived from 225 to 258 AD. I am interested in this little-known saint for a number of reasons. He was originally from Spain, where some of my family lives, he has a fascinating story related to his martyrdom, and both my son-in-law and…
I was at a quilt show admiring the outstanding handiwork of quilters from around the country. The quilting world has gone way beyond piecing together scraps of fabric leftover from making your own clothes to a massive industry led by some highly creative people. Suddenly I came across an area where all the quilts looked…
Preparations are under way for a couple of events that will dominate the news in the next few months, Minnesota’s primary election on August 14 and the mid-term general election on November 6. At a recent training session for Steele County’s election judges many routine topics were discussed; how to set up the polling place…
I was among a group of family members that had driven out to one of the many keys that extend out from southern Florida. It was a beautiful, sunny day, typical of Florida, but a little windy. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant. The restaurant had signs posted that said, “Do not feed…
What would you call the entrance to the place where people go to be baptized? If you believe that baptism is a symbolic ordinance performed in obedience to Christ’s command you might call it an entrance or passageway. If you believe that Holy Baptism is a divine mystery through which we are born again into…
In the March, 2018 issue of The Lutheran Witness, Dr. Gene Edward Veith shares some information that you have probably already heard – that there has been a decline in religious affiliation in this country – but also some information that you may not have heard – what specific areas of religious affiliation that…
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Prairie City, Missouri, the first church that I served after graduating from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. I was invited to preach at their kickoff celebration on April 22. The theme of the year-long celebration is “God’s Grace From Generation to Generation.” It…
More and more, it seems, the large companies that control major portions of the internet, are limiting ways for Christians to get the word out about their products. Concordia Publishing House is the official publishing arm of my Lutheran denomination, The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. If this is happening to our publishing house, surely…
Mirror Neurons 