I was reading Paul’s letter to the Ephesians recently and I was struck by the “big issue” Paul needed to address within the church. Literally, it is an issue that might seem irrelevant to us or a “thing of the past.” Yet, if we look at the same issue thematically, it is still an topic…
‘Cause I am a sinner If it’s not one thing it’s another Caught up in words Tangled in lies But You are a Savior And You take brokenness aside And make it beautiful Song: Brokenness Aside by All Sons and Daughters King David wrote a song (psalm) after being called out for committing adultery and…
Jesus said… “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not…
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day God rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3 This comes from the first…
We are moving closer to the Labor Day Retreat… and revisiting the theme, “Practice, Not Perfect.” This was the same theme that our high school group “Common Ground” explored on their musical tour. There is no doubt that some believe that being a Christian means striving for perfection. You know, be a really, really good…
If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is…
Who deserves to be lavished with God’s love? Christians? Good people? Kind people? Many of want to be arbiters of God’s love. We see it as a commodity to be managed and/or dispensed. Last Sunday, I talked about John 3:16-17 which is: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that…
By the time you read this, I will be back in the Bay Area! (I hope that brings joy!) I have just spent my 33rdyear at a “camp” called Leadership Lab ( http://leadershiplab.net). It is joy to equip youth with leadership skills as well as be instrumental in helping them discover the love of Jesus….
Occasionally I read an article that is too good not to share. This is one of those articles. I hope you find it as meaningful as I do. It is entitled, “What is Cheap Grace? by Andy Gill. There’s so many different forms of grace: Hyper-grace, free grace, costly grace, and then there’s what we’re…
Our Pilgrimage to Houston by Pr. Ben Bergren Marianne Nadell, 8 high school youth and myself are back from the National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. We gathered with Lutherans (ELCA) from around the United States and explored the theme, “This Changes Everything.” Every day we looked at a different aspect of that theme as…
