A Letter To The Michigan District

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Dear Fellow Redeemed,

As we persistently rejoice in the gracious realities of this past Easter’s celebration, may God continue to richly bless you with the joy of sins forgiven, the assurance of Jesus’ shared victory over the grave, and the gift of a powerful, purpose-filled life lived now and forever in His strength.

I am writing this brief letter to offer some answers to questions that I have been frequently receiving. The questions have arisen since (and some before) the names of the three candidates for the Office of President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod were published and announced.

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Change Your Life: THINK (... on These Things)

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Imagine with me, if you will, that you are in fact an Olympic caliber athlete. You are in training for 1,600 and 3,200 meter events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. With just a little over two years left for training and tryouts, how many of you would begin the Twinkies diet between now and the Games?

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A Season of MIRACLES - YES They Still Happen ... and We Need Them

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MIRACLES … perhaps because of the age in which we live, have taken on the cloak of the fantastical, whimsical, or the special effect in a movie.  Maybe because of the very tough times in which we live they impossible.  Rarely, for many, do “miracles” embrace the category of “possibility” because of something supernatural, much less because of God.

Even those who “believe” in miracles have romantic notions of how and where they take place.  Too often we suppose that supernatural miracles only happen in special or splendid circumstances.  But part of the great Good News at Christmas is that God clothes Himself in the ordinary – and does amazing things!

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Not Then, Nor NOW, Can We Avoid the Cities

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One of the great challenges for the Church today, and perhaps in particular for The Michigan District, is how to carry on vital and vibrant urban ministry.  More than half of the churches that were thriving in the mid 1950’s in Detroit are now closed, with those remaining  very challenged in their ministries and even in worship attendance.  It is possible that there will no longer be any Lutheran Schools in Detroit by the end of this year.

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What Are You Doing This Summer? SPIRITUAL GROWTH: MY JOB OR GOD'S?

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Psychologists say one of the primary causes of conflict in households involves disputes over what's generally called “division of labor.” If the bed goes unmade, if the dishes go unwashed, if the diaper goes unchanged, who is responsible for getting the job done?  We’re all aware that many households have never had a calm, rational discussion about who is best equipped to do what.

I’d like to ask this question:  Whose job is spiritual growth?  (This really deals with what is known as the doctrine of sanctification.)  For many Christians there is confusion about the division of labor as it relates to spiritual growth or sanctification.  "Is it God's job, or is it mine?" 

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The Cross in Easter

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Many of us, including myself, have heard, numerous times, the historical account of Jesus last few days before His crucifixion.   Even so, there is still for me the twitch of conscience, on Maundy Thursday, when one by one the disciples ask, “Is it I?”  Their query is a response to Jesus’ announcement that one of them will betray him. (Mark 14:19)  In contemplating their question -- my question -- it is easy for me to reflect upon my own culpability in Jesus’ suffering and death.  “My sin, Lord Jesus, caused your crucifixion.”

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Being Accessible ... Can There Be Too Much?

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I can hear my wife Pat ask, "Do you have to answer every phone call?"  It's not that she doesn't want me to communicate or be accessible.  It's just that it's dinner, or devotion time, or we just sat down to have a personal conversation that we haven't had in days ... weeks?  There are some priority questions here as well.

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