On Sunday I said, “People don’t risk their life for a lie.” People may lie to save their life but that is a different issue. It makes no sense to me that the women who went to anoint (embalm) Jesus’ dead body would lie to the disciples. It makes less sense that the disciples would…
Do you have a class ring from high school or college? The tradition of having a class ring began over 200 years ago as a way to proudly remember the academic institution you attended. However, one class ring saved a person’s life. In Max Lucado’s book, A Love Worth Giving, we hear how a ring became…
We are just a few days from the beginning of Holy Week. We will remember: Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (he is from Nazareth), how Jesus disrupted the business of the Temple (called the cleansing but he didn’t do any cleaning) how Jesus taught daily in the Temple courts (outside the Temple building) Jesus celebrating Passover…
A kindergarten teacher found an exciting new thing for her Sunday School class. The teacher wrote a song about popcorn, taught it to the children, and had them crouch down on the floor to sing it. At appropriate points in the song, all the children would “pop up.” The teacher soon had them “popping” all…
One week ago, a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and killed 50 people and injured 50 others. These people were coming to worship in peace. An Australian white supremacist committed this horrendous hate crime. I denounce white supremacy and violence against others. The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America…
I saw the picture above, online. I saved it because I resonated with the skill set on the left side (successful people). The more I pondered this sign, the more I wondered if the Bible had anything to say about these things. And so, I dug into my Bible to see what I could find……
Frank Sinatra’s daughter, Tina Sinatra, recalls her father’s unceasing drive to succeed and make money, even when his health was at risk near the end of his life: His health was in tatters and his life mired in financial wrangles, but my father refused to stop giving concerts. “I’ve just got to earn more money,”…
I read an interesting anecdote by Joani Schultz the Chief Creative Officer of Group Publishing. This is what happened (in her own words)… A crazy rumor erupted on our wedding anniversary cruise. Before we even boarded, a just-met passenger whispered, “The new CEO who just purchased this cruise line is a passenger!” Of course, my…
Every week the Church gathers to do the one thing that every congregation has in common: we worship Jesus Christ, the resurrected One. But what is worship? It is more than the songs we sing. It is more than the prayer(s) we pray. It more than the words the pastor speaks. It is even more…
Two weeks ago, I wrote an article to the larger church entitled, “We Need to Talk.” (https://benbergren.com/article-we-need-to-talk/) Last week, I penned an article on talking less and listening more. (https://benbergren.com/article-listen-more/) I want add one more “thought” to this string of articles. If we are to help others more than judge them and spend more time…
