“My life”: Part 1
Jesus laid down his life so that life comes to us. “Mine!” cries the two-year-old to his one-year-old sister who has unknowingly laid hands on a favorite toy. “It’s my…
You are forgiven
A woman distraught over her sins finds Jesus’ love and forgiveness at the cross. She sits across from me. Hunched over. Shoulders slumped. Hands covering her face. Sobs convulsing her.…
It’s time to forget
God doesn’t remember any of our failures. Neither should we. I rest my hand lightly on my wife’s because it hurts her too much when I hold it. From her…
Now what?
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of…
Do you mind if I come in?
“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ . . . Then he opened their minds so they…
A new chapter in Russia
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). In his final message to leaders and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Concord, WELS’ sister church body…
The upper room
A congregation uses art to experience anew Jesus’ appearance to his disciples. In 2018, Peace, Aiken, S.C., commissioned three pieces from WELS artist Jason Jaspersen for its church, including “Upper…
Experiencing the gospel through art
You wouldn’t call the artwork that adorns the walls at Peace, Aiken, S.C., “traditional.” But the church building isn’t traditional either. When members at Peace were looking for a location,…
Confessions of faith: Shawn Jacobs
A man who struggled to understand a God of grace finally finds peace through the gospel. Ryan Wolfe, pastor at Redeemer, Mandan, N.D., looked at his cell phone on the…