Christian love in politics
Remember who you are as you conduct yourself during this political season. Even though this is about politics, I’m not going to tell you who to vote for or try…
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Christian love in politics
Parent conversations: How can I let the gospel shine as I parent?
In my opinion, this is the toughest part of being a Christian parent—letting the gospel shine in how I deal with my kids. It just seems to come naturally to…
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Parent conversations: How can I let the gospel shine as I parent?
A Sabbath from social media
After a long week of work and worry, the weekend always feels good. From the time I was little, I loved Saturdays. You get to sleep in. You get to…
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A Sabbath from social media
A thought: Our Father
“Our Father in heaven.” So Jesus taught us his prayer. It’s actually our prayer. It begins, “Our Father.” Yet we say it so often it might have become only words…
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A thought: Our Father
My Christian life: WELS nurse lives out faith through her vocation
A WELS nurse explains how her vocation allows her to share her faith and show love to those in need. Jesus calls us to follow his example by living lives…
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My Christian life: WELS nurse lives out faith through her vocation
A translation for the people
Luther made God’s Word speak to people in their own language. The Lutheran Reformation is important! Through it the Lord of the church restored many eternal spiritual truths to us…
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A translation for the people
Devotion: The church sees color
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before…
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Devotion: The church sees color
President’s message: More than dollars and numbers
Fall is the time of year when most congregations begin to discuss and plan their budgets for the coming year. Ministry plans are developed, and then those plans are prayerfully…
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President’s message: More than dollars and numbers
Confessions of faith: Harry and Angie Corey
A family discovers a focus on Scripture, consistent messages, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere at their local WELS church. Consistency. Structure. A focus on Scripture. These are just some…
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Confessions of faith: Harry and Angie Corey
Bible study: Citizens of two kingdoms
Jesus controls everything. Ephesians 1:22 says, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” What a comfort to know that…
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Bible study: Citizens of two kingdoms
Please explain: Why did Jesus use parables to teach?
Aesop’s fables, a good sermon illustration, an analogy—these are all ways to communicate complex concepts in a way that is easier to understand. Similarly, Jesus used parables (Matthew 13, Mark…
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Please explain: Why did Jesus use parables to teach?
The kingdom of heaven: God in action
Three parables teach us what God is like and how he treats us. If you had one week to live, what would you discuss with your loved ones? Would you…
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The kingdom of heaven: God in action
The book of James: Active in good works
Paul is described as “the apostle of faith,” John as “the apostle of love,” Peter as “the apostle of hope,” and James as “the apostle of works.” For James, as…
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The book of James: Active in good works
Difficult conversations
Helping friends see that God’s way is best may be challenging. One of the hardest things that we can deal with as Christians is seeing our friends and loved ones…
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Difficult conversations
Make every effort
As divisions threaten our Christian churches, God’s Spirit unites us in Christ. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). Doesn’t that sound…
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Make every effort
New president starts at Martin Luther College
Richard Gurgel started in his new role as president of Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., in July. With the COVID-19 pandemic still in place, Gurgel is starting his…
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New president starts at Martin Luther College
Where are they now? ALHS Online
In July 2013, Forward in Christ reported on ALHS Online, a collaborative effort of the WELS Association of Lutheran High Schools (ALHS) to offer high quality online courses to expand…
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Where are they now? ALHS Online
Showing you care through parish nursing
At some point in our lives, every one of us has been blessed through the actions of a skilled and caring nurse. Each day in the U.S., millions of nurses…
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Showing you care through parish nursing
Compassion at work
WELS Christian Aid and Relief and Good Shepherd, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, partnered to organize cleanup after storms blew through the Midwest in August. The line of storms, called a derecho,…
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Compassion at work
2020 district conventions
“COVID-19 affected so much this spring and summer,” notes Brad Taylor, secretary of the South Central District. “District conventions were no different.” WELS’ 12 districts canceled their in-person conventions that…
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2020 district conventions
Q&A: Can a Christian vote for a political candidate who supports abortion?
Citizens of two kingdoms Christians are citizens of two kingdoms: the church (i.e. the kingdom of God) and the state (i.e. civil government). The kingdom of God is the ruling…
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Q&A: Can a Christian vote for a political candidate who supports abortion?
The book of James: When battling temptation
Last time, James spoke about trials; this time, he speaks about temptation. Though he uses the same Greek word for both, their meanings are far different, as the context shows.…
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The book of James: When battling temptation
COVID casualties
More than four million infected and 148,866 deaths. Those are the coronavirus statistics shared by the US Centers for Disease Control at the end of July. Meanwhile, the World Health…
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COVID casualties
My Christian life: A teacher retires full of memories
A teacher retires full of memories—including monarch butterflies, baby chicks, and Jesus—after 43 years Do you have a favorite teacher? One who really understood or motivated you? One who made…
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My Christian life: A teacher retires full of memories
Parent conversations: How should I handle a child’s separation anxiety?
My kids and I have spent almost no time apart since mid-March. With school starting soon, I’m a little nervous about how my youngest, who is six, is going to…
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Parent conversations: How should I handle a child’s separation anxiety?
Confessions of faith: Hany Guzmán
A girl from Guatemala discovers the light of the gospel in Alaska. As the morning mist mixed with the bright beams of the sun’s first rays over Baja Verapaz, Guatemala,…
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Confessions of faith: Hany Guzmán
Devotion: We believe, therefore we listen
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the…
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Devotion: We believe, therefore we listen
Please explain: Does Jesus build his church on Peter and his successors?
It had been another busy stretch for Jesus. With his disciples in tow, he had been traveling all around Galilee preaching, teaching, healing, and amazing large crowds of people. He…
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Please explain: Does Jesus build his church on Peter and his successors?
Q&A: Does God really care?
Does God really care? Look at the trouble we see. Why does he seem so distant and disinterested? God has a higher goal for us Deism is the belief that…
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Q&A: Does God really care?
Bible study: God cares
Does God really care? Not only does God care for this world, but he is also genuinely interested in each one of us. The Bible is full of beautiful passages…
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Bible study: God cares
A thought: The difference
I’m looking out my study window this morning. The grass is green. The birds are flying from branch to branch. The robins are hopping on the grass to find lunch.…
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A thought: The difference
Focused living in Christ
Joel Russow has written a new four-part Bible study for teens based on Colossians 3:12-15. Here he introduces the four parts, with several WELS teens sharing experiences that relate to…
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Focused living in Christ
Forgive as you are forgiven
We are to forgive others the way God forgives us—freely and often. Every Sunday, we and thousands of other believers gather for worship in various congregations. We are greeted by…
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Forgive as you are forgiven
Now I lay me down to sleep
One veteran Christian adds the certainty of heaven to a familiar prayer. Many of us have tucked our children to bed with the words of a familiar prayer: Now I…
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Now I lay me down to sleep
President’s message: A time for trust
When do you find it easiest to place your trust in God and to remember his promises? Wouldn’t you agree that it’s easiest to place your trust in God’s care…
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President’s message: A time for trust
“God sometimes changes our plans”
“It just wasn’t going to work to host an in-person soccer camp this year because of health concerns with the coronavirus,” explains Kurt Wetzel, pastor at Cross of Christ, Boise/…
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“God sometimes changes our plans”
Annual LWMS convention goes virtual
From its inaugural 1964 convention in Winona, Minn., to its 2019 convention in Des Moines, Iowa, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) has faithfully hosted annual conventions for the past…
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Annual LWMS convention goes virtual
New faces at the Center for Mission and Ministry
Two new men joined the staff at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry (CMM), Waukesha, Wis., in July. Paul Patterson is serving as the associate director of the Commission…
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New faces at the Center for Mission and Ministry
New school year brings difficult decisions
WELS schools around the country were faced with the difficult job this summer of determining what school is going to look like in the fall, after the 2019–20 school year…
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New school year brings difficult decisions
The joy of the gospel
After serving 27 years in Africa, a missionary reflects on how ministry changes but God’s grace remains constant. Go in without expectations. That’s a maxim I’ve found useful when I…
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The joy of the gospel
Parent conversations: How should families prepare to go back to school?
How should families prepare to go back to school? That’s quite a question this year, isn’t it? After all, education is likely to look different depending on what school you…
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Parent conversations: How should families prepare to go back to school?
Campus Ministry: Celebrating 100 years
The same Jesus proclaimed in Lutheran Campus Ministries one hundred years ago still receives the focus today. A picture on the TODAY Show or the local news. A letter from…
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Campus Ministry: Celebrating 100 years
Friends are friends forever
This article’s title comes from a Michael W. Smith song from the late 1980s. The lyrics say, “Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the lord of them.” Smith’s point…
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Friends are friends forever
The visible church
At church we find believers because the Holy Spirit works through the gospel, but we also find hypocrites. It’s Sunday morning at Midtown Evangelical Lutheran Church. The late service begins…
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The visible church
Devotion: Clarity in life from closeness to death
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4). “This just doesn’t seem real.” Have you heard people…
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Devotion: Clarity in life from closeness to death
Confessions of faith: Kent Gavin
An Army captain matures in his faith as he works to help other cadets grow in their understanding of God’s Word. Captain Kent Gavin opens his laptop to Zoom, the…
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Confessions of faith: Kent Gavin
President’s message: Future unknown, future certain
Earlier this year, I was asked to make a presentation on the topic, “What will the Wisconsin Synod look like one hundred years from now?” It was a daunting assignment…
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President’s message: Future unknown, future certain
One ordinary life
Christians often live quiet, humble lives, but their lives matter. How do we measure the value and importance of a Christian life? We gravitate to those who have done great…
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One ordinary life
Bible study: God made the world
If God did not create the world, then humans become superior animals struggling to survive instead of the crown of God’s creation. Survival or serving oneself instead of glorifying God…
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Bible study: God made the world
Q&A: Does it really matter how God made the world?
I believe that the world came about by the process of evolution. However, I still consider myself a Christian. Does it really matter how God made the world? Creation matters…
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Q&A: Does it really matter how God made the world?