Back to the basics: Keys and confession
October 1-7: The use of the keys What is the use of the keys? The use of the keys is that special power and right which Christ gave to his…
Pastor and wife appreciation month
Praise Martin Luther? No, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord for what he accomplished through reformers like Martin Luther. In our praise to the Lord, it is common and appropriate…
Back to the basics: The Lord’s Prayer
September 3-9: Overview and the address of the Lord's Prayer Address: Our Father in heaven. 239. What is prayer? Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation…
Remembering a rite
Imagine a Lutheran pastor beginning a baptism service by blowing three times under the child’s eyes and then commanding the unclean spirit in the child to depart and make room…
Back to the basics: The Ten Commandments
August 6-12: Introduction to the commandments The Ten Commandments are a summary of God’s will for us in our lives. Many people think of the commandments as out-of-date rules that…
Sympathy +
“I’m so sorry.” “I’m sorry for your loss.” “You have my sympathy.” I’m sure you recognize those statements, and you can probably picture a very common setting where they are…
From hurried to hopeful
You were not rescued from the darkness of death to live life hurried and consumed. Dear Hurried Heart, I know the deadlines loom, the kids need to get to the…
Back to the basics: The Apostles’ Creed
July 1-8: Overview The Ten Commandments summarize God’s law—his commands for all people. The Apostles’ Creed summarizes the gospel, the good news of what the triune God has done and…
I will do what I can
I didn’t really expect to see Francis “Fran” Gavin and his wife, Joan, show up for the Everyone Outreach seminar. They hadn’t even registered for the event. Also Fran is…