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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
Nathan Redman
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
It’s that time of year again, time for people to set their New Year’s Resolutions. Usually they involve losing weight, quitting a bad habit, spending more time with family or finding that “special someone”. In the past I have had … Continue reading
It was bound to happen. This year it hit me earlier than it usual does. Christmas songs, decorations, crazy shoppers, Santa Claus and people on Facebook saying how blessed they are. Shouldn’t these things make me happy? Being a Christian … Continue reading
You may have heard teenagers say it; that was an Epic Fail. I have often uttered the words, I fail at life. I usually say that when I drop something on the floor, run into something, or can’t figure something … Continue reading
Associate Editor’s Note: What a great way to advertise the new CPH app! It happens like clockwork every three or four months. I get worn down, overwhelmed, you could even say burned out. I’m not a pastor or church worker, … Continue reading
For Pastor Appreciation Month, we are reposting this article on Supporting your Pastor. Have you ever taken someone for granted? As sinners we all have. We take our spouses, parents, children, coworkers, and neighbor for granted on a daily … Continue reading
Do you worry about what people think of you? Do you think people see you the way you want them to see you? How do people know what your priorities in life are? Our interactions with people on a daily … Continue reading
Recently my wife and I were planning to attend a family weekend at her parents’ lake cabin. My two children were excited to play in the lake, roast marshmallows and sleep in a tent. The night before we were to … Continue reading
I used to be nonchalant about the words “This is my body” and “This is my blood”. I understood and believed those words but never really thought about them. The Sacrament of the Altar; a great gift from God that … Continue reading
It was sometime in 2006, I was looking for a Lutheran Church to visit and possibly join. I grew up in an ELCA church so I checked out those first. I didn’t really know what I was looking for. I … Continue reading
Since becoming a dad, one of my favorite things to do is listen to my daughter sing. She often messes up the lyrics but it’s still very cute. To be honest she may have inherited that trait from me, as … Continue reading
If I am honest with myself, I have lived with anxiety all my life. Even as blessed as I am, I still worry about things. Growing up I worried about having friends, getting good grades, making the basketball team, even … Continue reading