Redeeming Holy Days-Candlemas/Presentation
Candlemas is February 2nd, forty days after the birth of Christ it is the Festival of the Purification of Mary. The Gospel Lesson…
Month: January 2014
A LampLight Conversation on the lessons for the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of St. Mary
As LampLight Conversations is fast-approaching celebrating its first year of being on air, and it is beginning to get a bit snug in…
Grandma and Grandpa’s Church.
It took me awhile to get used to it. I look around at my fellow church members and I see an overwhelming numbers…
Lutheran Schools and the Small Catechism — guest article by Andrew Strickland
Christmas shopping is always an exciting endeavor. By exciting I mean terrifyingly hectic. By terrifyingly hectic I mean I wish I had gotten…
Youth Work 1-C: Organization and the Family-Parents
[To read the introductory post on this topic, as much of this advice builds upon and flows from the principles laid out in…
Sermon — Pr. Tony Sikora — It’s Go Time
St. Matthew 4:12-25 January 26, 2014 AD Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and…
“On Us a Light Has Dawned” (Sermon on Matthew 4:12-25, by Pr. Charles Henrickson)
“On Us a Light Has Dawned” (Matthew 4:12-25) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth and was baptized in…
Why Church? A Sermon for the Third Sunday after Epiphany on St. Matthew 8:1—13
If you ask people why they come to church, they might say, “It makes me feel good.” There’s nothing quite like gathering together around…
What Is Truth? – An Evangelism Conference Unlike Any Other
We all recognize the question asked by Pontius Pilate in John 18:38, (my Latin students ought to recognize the question as Quid est…
April 26th Regional Youth Conference: “The Old Testament in The New”
My congregation, Zion Lutheran Church in Lincoln, IL has been holding semiannual regional youth conferences since 2010. Our spring conference is always held…
Youth Work 1-B: Organization and the Pastor
[To read the introductory post on this topic, as much of this advice builds upon and flows from the principles laid out in…
A Steadfast Lutheran Interview With Pastor Tullian Tchividjian (Combined for easier reading)
“He must be a Lutheran; he sure sounds like one.” These were some of the first words out of my mouth when I…
Steadfast Media Pick of the Week — A Case of Faith Without Works?
Dr. Peter Scaer from last year’s Symposia – “Lutheran Support for Pro-Life: A Case of Faith Without Works?” http://media.ctsfw.edu.s3.amazonaws.com/symposia/2013/2013Symposia-12.mp4
The Emancipation Proclamation Decimation…
If you don’t read “He remembers the barren” you are missing a blog that covers difficult life topics in a cross centered way….
Dumber than a Rock?
It’s easy to think we’re smarter than we actually are. We live in a time when technology has put unprecedented amounts of information…
Seeking the Approval of Men?
Horror of horrors! “American trust in clergy members hits new low.” So says an article at CBS-DC as it explains a recent Gallup poll….
Steadfast Media Pick of the Week — Doubts
While the audio player issues get ironed out I went hunting for some videos. This one is from Pr. Mark Jasa dealing with…
Looking at Giving Records
Recently I came across John Kieschnick’s article found in LCEF encouraging the pastor to familiarize himself with the giving amounts of his parishioners….
“Gifted Speakers” (Sermon on John 1:29-42a and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, by Pr. Charles Henrickson)
“Gifted Speakers” (John 1:29-42a; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9) Have you ever heard of the St. Louis Speakers Series? Every year there’s a series of…
Youth Work I-A: Organization and the Congregation
[To read the introductory post on this topic, as much of this advice builds upon and flows from the principles laid out in…
Free Devotions, Courtesy of Around the Word
Around the Word Journal produces weekly devotions for family and individuals, which are emailed every Wednesday. Signing up is free. The devotions include:…
A New Era in American Evangelicalism?
The lead article in the December 2013 issue of Christianity Today (hereafter CT) was about the Colorado Springs megachurch called New Life and…
A Steadfast Lutheran Interview With Pastor Tullian Tchividjian (Part 2 of 2)
In part one of the Steadfast Lutheran Interview with Presbyterian Pastor, Tullian Tchividjian, I interviewed Tchividjian about his background and explored his various…
Sermon — Pr. Tony Sikora — Who? What? and Where?
January 19, 2014 Sermon Text: St. John 1:29-42 Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our…
Neutrality on the Commandments does not befit Christian organizations
What if BJS became “neutral” on the First Commandment? That is to say we never came out saying which god is correct and…