Reading time: less than 3 minutes.
I've always felt a lot of pressure whenever I hear the phrase, "have a personal relationship with Jesus." It's like the build-up to asking a date to go to the prom. If this is all up to me, I'm in big trouble.
I understand that my spiritual life, my walk of faith with Jesus, needs my attention and discipline. Jim Bakker nailed it when he said, "We were so busy doing the Lord's work that we forgot about the Lord."
But if I want my first thought in the morning and my last in the evening to be of Jesus, I'll need some help. I'll need His help. Read More
It takes many generous people to make an event successful. We’d like you to meet some of these individuals – our Gala committee (left to right) Julia Schumaker, Jan Burmeister, Nancy Miller, CeCe Strochschein, Matt Strochschein, Miriam Lee, John Lee and Brian Roscoe… Read More
Matt and CeCe Strohschein
"We feel it's a very important mission to help foster health and wellness for church workers!"
Matt and CeCe bring valuable skills to the Gala committee:
* Hard-working
*Knowledgeable about our ministry
*Experienced in working events
*Very passionate about supporting church workers
*Excellent leadership skills Read More
Reading time: less than 3 minutes.
I once was asked on a theology test: "Explain the Trinity. Use the words essence and substance." Fortunately the professor only left room for about 50 words on the test paper. I'm sure my answer was pathetic.
I wish I'd known about "perichoresis." Not to impress the instructor, of course. Well, maybe just a little. Perichoresis is a term the ancient Greek Fathers used to describe the relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It literally can mean "dance around" (get it... "Peri" like perimeter + "Choresis" as in choreography). Some say the Greek dance involving at least three dancers, weaving in and out of one another inspired the Fathers to say, "That's what the Trinity is like!"
What a wonder that in the grace of baptism, you and I have been invited to join in the dance! Read More
Reading time: less than 3 minutes.
I once was asked on a theology test: "Explain the Trinity. Use the words essence and substance." Fortunately the professor only left room for about 50 words on the test paper. I'm sure my answer was pathetic.
I wish I'd known about "perichoresis." Not to impress the instructor, of course. Well, maybe just a little. Perichoresis is a term the ancient Greek Fathers used to describe the relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It literally can mean "dance around" (get it... "Peri" like perimeter + "Choresis" as in choreography). Some say the Greek dance involving at least three dancers, weaving in and out of one another inspired the Fathers to say, "That's what the Trinity is like!"
What a wonder that in the grace of baptism, you and I have been invited to join in the dance! Read More
Reading time less than 3 minutes.
“Joy in the midst of suffering” is one of those Christian paradoxes that often confound me. The suffering part is all too obvious. The joy is more sneaky, harder to spot. My daily battle with this aging body of mine is a case in point.
I recently turned sixty. Don’t you just love the birthdays with a zero? I think it was one of my children (I can’t remember!) who said to me, “Hey! You’re thirty… AGAIN!” Very funny.
My body is aging and wearing out, but by the grace of God, it’s still serving me as an instrument for my callings in life, and that’s reason for joy. Read More
Reading time less than 3 minutes.
My first literal tears of joy were spilled while sitting on the curb of the sidewalk on Holman Street on the campus of Concordia Portland. I was part of a week long youth retreat as a semi-professional "youth staffer" the year before seminary. I was still considering whether or not the Lord had plans to use me as a pastor.
When the tears started flowing, I took that as a sign that yes, there was a calling for me here. Read More
Reading time... less than 3 minutes
It's storm season here in the Midwest. It's amazing how quickly the weather can change. Relationships have an "atmosphere" also, don't they? Bad weather can hang around for a long, long time. Jesus changes things in an instant.
When I met Bob for the first time, his family was a mess. He had been divorced for years, only a couple of his five grown children were speaking to him, and few of them were speaking to each other.
I would never have imagined how powerfully God would transform Bob's family. Read More
Reading time... less than 3 minutes
It's storm season here in the Midwest. It's amazing how quickly the weather can change. Relationships have an "atmosphere" also, don't they? Bad weather can hang around for a long, long time. Jesus changes things in an instant.
When I met Bob for the first time, his family was a mess. He had been divorced for years, only a couple of his five grown children were speaking to him, and few of them were speaking to each other.
I would never have imagined how powerfully God would transform Bob's family. Read More
Dale and Karen Kruse
April 11, 2015 - Grace Place Wellness Board Member, Dale Kruse and his wife Karen, hosted an evening at Bonita Bay Country Club, gathering supporters to discuss bringing Grace Place Wellness to the Florida area. Guests represented Grace Lutheran, Faith Lutheran and Peace Lutheran churches. Read More
Reading time: less than 3 minutes
People surprise me, when I've been curious enough to listen that is.
Carmine and I had almost nothing in common, besides Jesus and her daughter who was in my youth group . We could hardly have been more different. We were separated in age by about 25 years and in hometowns by about 2500 miles.
She was an African-American woman from a large, urban area of the Midwest who grew up in the shadow of tall buildings; I'm of northern European heritage and grew up in the shadow of Douglas Fir trees in Oregon. We were from "different sides of the tracks."
God gave me a gift when I accepted a call and became her pastor. Fortunately, I was curious enough about Carmine to really listen to her and open up the gift. Read More
Reading time: less than 3 minutes.
Pastors, I'm praying that the Risen Jesus shows up for you in a significant way as you prepare to lead God's people in worship this Easter. I pray He shows up every Sunday. Early.
Over the last twenty years of my parish ministry, my response to the question, "How's attendance at early service?" was always the same. "The usual. Just two." Rarely spoken aloud, that was the truth, chuckled to myself (and of course, to Jesus). Few people in the church understood how important the worship that happened before the worship really was for our life together.
Over my early years in ministry I came to realize that you can't preach what you haven't experienced. Read More
