Church in Panama City rededicated after hurricane
What a difference a year makes. On Oct. 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael blew through Panama City as a category five hurricane, severely damaging the church and parsonage of Amazing Grace…
Mission trips provide new perspectives and opportunities
For the past five years, teens from St. John, Wauwatosa, Wis., have hit the road each summer to drive across the country. What were they doing? Helping mission churches reach…
Lutheran leadership conference a success
WELS Congregational Services hosted the first ever WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership in Chicago, Jan. 21–23. Approximately 800 people, representing about 350 WELS congregations, met to hear five plenary…
Book nook: 5-minute Bible Studies for Teens
Bible studies for teens Clark Schultz’s 5-Minute Bible Studies for Teens is a great devotion book for modern teenagers. The short devotions are meaningful, yet they do not take up…
Parent conversations: Should I give something up for Lent?
Should I or shouldn’t I? It’s a question I ask myself each Lenten season. Should I give something up? I know I don’t need to, but would it help me…
A Bible story just for me: Depression
Longing for the mountaintop, sitting under a shrub: depression. Loneliness. Hopelessness. A lack of motivation. A lack of purpose. It’s been described as a black cloud that doesn’t go away.…
My Christian life: Spencer Beach
A modern-day Job story reminds us of God's grace and love. For most people, it would have been the worst day of their life. Maybe it was for Spencer Beach,…
Teen talk: You are not alone
When you feel at the bottom with nowhere to go, turn to the Lord. Emmilee S. Hillier Empty. Forgotten. Worthless. Defeated. Hopeless. Alone. I feel all these things when I’m…
Dust you are
The smudged ashes announce that our story does not end in the dust of death. Peter A. Panitzke Look hundreds of people in the eye and tell them that they…