Author: Ben

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 Some of us are really good at making snap judgments about other people. In the blink of an…

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (to believe). Romans 1:20 Saint Paul is making a simple argument: look at the world around you and you should come the inevitable conclusion…

This past weekend I began a sermon series on Joseph. If you didn’t hear the message, you can listen to it here: Joseph Sermon . Joseph’s life was filled with lots of downs. More downs that ups. It was as if he lived in the proverbial “valley of the shadow of death” for most of…

Last week, I was at the church council meeting for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Community Lutheran Church is a congregation of the ELCA. In 2023, I was nominated to serve on the church council of the ELCA. The national (ELCA) church council operates a lot like our own church council here at…

Hi everyone, I am in my hotel room in Chicago, Illinois just hours away from my second church council meeting at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Just like last time (and possibly every time) the agenda is packed with lots of items. All of it important as we try to live out our…