Free the Catechism
My congregation recently ran into an obstacle concerning use of the 1986 LCMS English translation of Luther’s Small Catechism. This was not about…
Author: T. R. Halvorson
T. R. Halvorson was born in Sidney, Montana on July 14, 1953, baptized at Pella Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sidney, Montana on November 8, 1953, and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Williston, North Dakota in 1968. He and his wife, Marilyn, are members of Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Sidney, Montana. They have three sons and six grandchildren. T. R. farms at Wildrose, North Dakota, and is Deputy County Attorney in Sidney, Montana. He has been a computer programmer; and an author, conference speaker, instructor, and consultant to industry in online legal information. He is among the authors of the religion column in the Sidney Herald at Sidney, Montana. He is the Editor of LutheranCatechism.com.
Conference Registration Gifts Awarded — Still Time to Register for a Great Conference
The free conference registrations gifts from LutheranCatechism.com have been awarded. There still is time to register for this great BJS 2016 Conference. The…
Part 2 of 3 — Catechesis: The Quiet Crisis, by William E. Thompson
Part 2 Catechesis: The Quiet Crisis William E. Thompson Outline: Serialization Note: Part 1 Introduction Brothers of John the Steadfast gratefully acknowledge the…
Free — Conference Registration Gift to Next Three Registrants
The next three people who register for and attend the Brothers of John the Steadfast Conference, February 4-6, 2016, will receive free at…
The Catechism is Strategic — New Website: Lutheran Catechism
A new website, Lutheran Catechism, promoting the use of Luther’s catechisms went live January 4, 2016. As a new site, it is still small, but…
Part 1 of 3 — Catechesis: The Quiet Crisis, by William E. Thompson
Part 1 Catechesis: The Quiet Crisis William E. Thompson Outline: Serialization Note: Part 1 Introduction Brothers of John the Steadfast gratefully acknowledge the…
Real Men Catechize their Children
Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche was the title of a best-selling book by Bruce Feirstein published in 1982. Supposedly, a real man would…
God Made Accessible – Pr David Kind
For the remaining days of Christmas, here is a brief pastoral letter that helps us understand: who Jesus is what Jesus did what…
Sermon for Advent 4, by Pastor Dan Voth
Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent (20 December A+D 2015) Pastor Dan Voth Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Minot, ND Trinity Lutheran Church, Tolley,…
Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent, by Rev. Dr. John W. Sias
Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent (13 December A+D 2015) The Rev. Dr. John W. Sias Pastor, Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Colstrip,…
Stage 4 Cancer – Sorry State of Catechization in the Home
My aunt, Gladys, was a manager in the U. S. Geological Survey. As a federal government employee, she had excellent health care. The…
Martin Luther’s Christmas Book Bulletin Insert
Is your parish Christian education wanting another way to promote: use of the church’s library reading Martin Luther bringing the Gospel stories of…
What Can You Do with Christmas? — A Pastoral Letter of Pastor Rolf Preus, December 2015
Following is a monthly pastoral letter of Pastor Rolf Preus to his congregations of Trinity Lutheran Church, Sidney, Montana and St. John’s Lutheran…
No-Name Evangelistic Association: How Faith Comes to Grandchildren
How did the Christian faith come from my grandparents to my grandchildren? It came by mission, but not by missionalism. If this mission…
The Blessed Begats
In Junior Confirmation, we read through the Old Testament. We didn’t get very far before I was having trouble. In Genesis 5, we…
The Silver Spoon Jesus Left in a Drawer
Before 1700, common folk had wooden spoons. Well off people had silver. The saying, “He was born with a silver spoon in his…
Anything but Dull – Convention Report – 2015 Montana District LCMS – Part 2
This is Part 2 of a report on the 2015 Montana District LCMS convention. This part reports on Resolution 5-04, “To Call Upon…
Anything but Dull – Convention Report – 2015 Montana District LCMS – Part 1
This is Part 1 of a report on the 2015 Montana District LCMS convention. Part 2 will report on Resolution 5-04 “To Call…
Bishop Tyranny and Heresy (Part 2)
In part 1, we saw how a congregation of my friends suffered the tyranny of a bishop concerning their pastoral vacancy, and the…
Bishop Tyranny and Heresy (Part 1)
Some friends in a Lutheran congregation of a different synod from mine have been in a long pastoral vacancy. The bishop expressly refused…
A Bereaved Farewell to the Boy Scouts of America
This year I turned 62. As we age, we learn more about bereavement. My latest bereavement is the Boy Scouts of America. The…
Charm, Politics, Waiting Games, and the Vanishing Gospel
[NOTE: This article was written before the recent announcement by Dr. Mathew L. Becker that his ecclesiastical supervisor, the District President of the…
More on the Becker Situation
The Rev. District President Terry Forke, of the Montana district, sent this email to Pastors and lay delegates of Montana District: Dear Brothers…
The Saddest Face I Ever Attempted to Paint
Artist Francis B. Carpenter said Abraham Lincoln had “the saddest face I ever attempted to paint.” His law partner said Lincoln’s “melancholy dripped…
FiveTwo: Movements and Gifts
One of the problems with FiveTwo is that it is a movement. The thing about movements is that they move (or at least…