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My wife and I have been married for over 14 years. In terms of our lives in the church, we have both changed over those 14 years. Our upbringings in the church were vastly different and the years before we … Continue reading
Nathan Redman
I have been a deacon (also called an elder in other congregations) at my local LCMS church for a few years now. I wasn’t asked to be a deacon but was told later that the Board of Deacons had their … Continue reading
Many years ago when my wife and I started dating I was excited to learn she was Lutheran. Looking back at that time it is interesting to note that I had no idea what being Lutheran really meant. I grew … Continue reading
My wife commented on what I had known for months, “You have a lot of pastors on your Facebook”. They have been added over the years during my journey into the world of Confessional Lutheranism and because of my writing … Continue reading
I work every other Sunday, it’s one of the few things I dislike about my job. Back when I started 13 years ago I didn’t attend church and wasn’t even a member of a local congregation. Working on Sundays didn’t … Continue reading
I would like to start out this review by being brutally honest. I have never written a book review. I’ll be even more honest, I don’t really like reading. Reading was always a struggle for me in school and even … Continue reading
We’ve all got them. I like to call them conscience-killing or faith-destroying sins — those sins you just can’t seem to shake, sins that run the risk of becoming regular or, God forbid, enjoyable to our corrupt and sinful flesh. … Continue reading
I take that back, I really do enjoy a cup of coffee with my pastor. As long as our conversation stays within the realm of family, hobbies and things happening in our congregation it’s usually quite a joy. It is … Continue reading
After attending my first district convention as a member of the LCMS I confess myself disappointed. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much. I tried to keep a positive attitude and if you knew my personality you’d know that I … Continue reading
There are a number of things I remember about the ELCA church I was a member of during my childhood. Some memories are good and some are bad. I remember the candlelight service every Christmas Eve. I remember being an … Continue reading
In a few weeks I will be attending my first LCMS district convention as my congregation’s Lay Delegate. I have to admit to having mixed feelings about attending. I am thankful that my pastor asked me and even more thankful … Continue reading
While helping decorate church for the Christmas season our four year old son told our pastor, “I don’t like church… but I like you.” That’s no surprise, since at his age he’s far more interested in playing at church than … Continue reading
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. That’s what the song says so it has to be true…right? I do enjoy the holidays, though mostly for selfish reasons. I get to overeat and overdrink. I get to spoil my … Continue reading
I’d like to die in my sleep. I’d like to be in my eighties or even my nineties. I’d like to have roast beef with potatoes and gravy for dinner that night. Maybe even a glass of my favorite beer or … Continue reading
That’s the question I keep asking myself. Shouldn’t you know better? Don’t you understand that words actually mean something and your confession or lack thereof is killing people? Growing up I was lucky. I had parents who while they made … Continue reading
Have you ever asked someone why they love you? Have you ever heard someone in a relationship say “He loves me for who I am”? Or even wondered why some people continue to love other people the way they do. … Continue reading
God knows my sin. He knows how corrupt my heart is. God sees the sins that most in the world would deem “little” and the big nasty sins of my past. God knows my sin. God knows my sin so well … Continue reading
In the world’s eyes, I’m a great husband. I love my wife; I support her and my children. I don’t cheat on her or beat her. I don’t yell at her or put her down. That being said if I’m … Continue reading
Over the past few years I have wanted to experience a special feeling during church. I wanted the sermon to hit me. I wanted to feel true repentance during confession and even wanted the pastor to look directly at me … Continue reading
It was bound to happen. Someone changes the subject. People unfriend me on Facebook because of my overly churchy posts. Family members avoid my religious conversations. Even I fall into the trap of continually avoiding religious topics that may rub … Continue reading
I used to be a diehard Minnesota Twins baseball fan. I used to watch every game on television and even had partial season tickets. I knew all the players names, their strengths and their weaknesses. I wore Twins t-shirts, hats … Continue reading
I remember lying in bed as a teenager in complete silence and darkness not being able to fall asleep. My thoughts quickly changed from friends, to school, to sports and all the everyday events of a typical teenager’s life. I … Continue reading
In today’s world uniqueness and individuality are praised and encouraged ad nauseam. You can be anything you want to be, do whatever makes you happy, or as the Fleetwood Mac song says “You Can Go Your Own Way.” I really … Continue reading
It took me awhile to get used to it. I look around at my fellow church members and I see an overwhelming numbers of seniors, and not the seniors heading off to college next year. I see widows, men with … Continue reading
I was scared. I wasn’t sure what I would say. Could I really be honest? I wanted to do it but wasn’t sure if I was ready. You may have heard of it, but thought it wasn’t for you. You … Continue reading