Archive for October, 2006
What’s Love Got to Do with the Ministry?
Here’s a piece I penned for Higher Things magazine encouraging youth to enter church professions.
There was a funny commercial on television around Valentine’s Day last year. A man was sitting at the kitchen table while his wife stood with her back to him at the counter. She said, “Dear, is this the year [...]
What Scares You?
Aaah, Halloween is upon us. My good blogging buddy, The Beast, really knows how to have fun with this holiday.
This morning in Bible class, our pastor, Rev. David Petersen, made a good observation (one among many). He talked about how the general unchurched American views God. He said, quite accurately I believe, [...]
Californication of the Church
Today, in about 2.5 hours, I’ll be in the air on my way home to Fort Wayne. Back to snow and rain and drizzle after 5 days of glorious sunshine. Aaaahhh. Last night, on the phone I asked the resident 11 yr old boy how the weather was at home. And [...]
Kosher Coffee Shops
Today, I came to Redlands, CA. It’s west of LA by San Bernardino. The weather is wonderful. I arrived a little early, so before going to the church I drove around the university campus looking for coffee. One shop, in particular caught my attention. The sign said: “The Bean and [...]
Dearth of Old Testament Scholars
It seems that there is a scarcity of Old Testament scholars in our church body. I visited a Hebrew class this morning at Concordia University – Irvine, CA. It was good seeing the fresh young fellows crunching away at it. I confess that my Hebrew is rusty. I’m much better at [...]
Fluttering About
Began the day with a stimulating discussion in our bible class at church. Pastor Petersen is always fun to listen to. The service and sermon was, as always, edifying.
Went to our first congregational voter’s meeting after church since joining Redeemer Lutheran Church. Started with a nice lunch of ham sandwiches w/real [...]
Profs on "Issues, Etc."
Last week, I was interviewed on Issues, Etc., a Lutheran talk radio program on KFUO in St. Louis, MO. The topic was The Da Vinci Code. Rev. Todd Wilken and his trusty producer, Jeff Schwarz, like to scour Higher Things magazine for radio subjects. And last summer, I did a mega-sectional [...]
Gemutlichkeit
One of the things I enjoy about Concordia Theo Seminary is that every Friday afternoon at 4:15 p.m. we have Gemutlichkeit. That’s a German word meaning warmth and friendliness. It’s used to refer to friends gathering over beer and food for conversation and happiness.
Every week, the kegs are brought in with local microbrew [...]
Speaking of Crosses
Martin Luther talked about a profound distinction between different types of theologies. Simply put, he said that some are theologians of glory and others are theologians of the cross. His famous Heidelberg Theses remain some of the Reformer’s most important insights.
The one on my mind today is thesis #21:A theologian of glory [...]
Decorative Cross?
I saw a catalog today that markets “decorative crosses.” And the first thought that came to my mind was “what kind of sicko decorates their houses with crosses?” Then I calmed myself down.
We have crosses, crucifixes and religious artwork all throughout our house. My study at the seminary has several. And [...]
