Confessions of faith: John Jia
A school open house provides an opportunity to reach a Chinese family and start a new cross-cultural ministry. John Jia, a member at Reformation, San Diego, Calif., has a heart…
Teen talk: Count your blessings
Realize that what you have comes from God, and thank God every day for what you have. Isabella Eckert Count your blessings. I was always told to count my blessings…
Faith and the thinking Christian: Part 6: Evolution and the thoughtful Christian
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). The last…
Faith and the thinking Christian: Part 5: Home field advantage
First and ten for the New York Giants on the 55-yard line. Wait. What?! Football fields don’t have 55-yard lines. That is, unless it’s a game in the Canadian Football…
Faith and the thinking Christian: Part 4: Does faith hinder scientific discovery?
Back when folks wore hats and overcoats, they laid them aside when they entered a theater or restaurant. They would check their outerwear at the Coat Check so they could…
Parent conversations: How can I explain the Sixth Commandment to a young child?
Recently my six-year-old came home from his Lutheran elementary school, and I overheard him ask his older siblings, “What is ‘adultery’?” Apparently his class was memorizing the Sixth Commandment, and…
One person at a time
When all the social and relationship issues of our nation came to a head in the summer of 2020, citizens in our nation and members of our synod had mixed…
Parent conversations: How can I help my child have an optimistic outlook?
I have seen many calls for 2020 to end so that we can start fresh in 2021. Yet let’s be honest. By the time January 1, 2021, ends, we’ll already…
Overcome evil with good
As divisions and hatred rage in our world, Christians overcome evil with good. A yard of someone you consider a friend is covered with campaign signs for the wrong candidates.…