King Solomon was pretty smart. The Bible says that he was the wisest person ever to live (short of Jesus the Son of God). He is believed to be the partial author of 3 books of the Bible: Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. One of them is racy and the other two are…
Love is an amazing gift that God ‘built’ into humanity. God wanted us to know how He feels towards us. The downside to love is that sometimes others hurt us or we have say goodbye for awhile when a loved dies. The great pastor and theologian Paul (from the New Testament) says this about…
Where in the world is Pastor Ben this week? Some of you heard a little bit about the summer camp that I am the director of in the announcements last Sunday at Bethel Lutheran Church. I am the co-director of a camp called Leadership Lab (as in laboratory). It is a one week camp that…
In the Lutheran Church some people make the sign of the cross and some don’t. Either is acceptable. From the brand of Lutheranism I come from no one ever made the sign of the cross. My guess would be that it would appear too “Roman Catholic.” Today we don’t worry about such things and I…
I am sure that some people no longer want to talk about the tragedy in Charleston, S.C. last week. “It was bad and it was last week.” I am not so sure we should be so quick to put this behind us and “move on.” Not because I have some political axe to grind but…
This is the season of graduations. Yes, people do graduate from various institutions at different times of the year but early June is when the vast of majority of people (young and old) graduate from schools. A week ago today (Thursday) I picked up Carl’s high school diploma from his school. I have now…
Summer is upon us! It may not be technically summer until June 21st, but the unofficial beginning of summer (at least for me) begins when the kids get out of school at the beginning of June. What is your plan for the summer? Are you going anywhere? Does your routine change? Or. . . is…
https://vimeo.com/129489153 Great video by Bishop Wayne Miller of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the ELCA. He has some great insights regarding the future of the church.
In the Lutheran Church—Pentecost kind of seems like a minor holiday. It is not as important as Easter or Christmas, but it should be remembered. It is more on the lines of Epiphany or Reformation Sunday. (If you have no idea what I am talking about, just read on. . .) I am not…
I have always been intrigued by the dedication of missionaries of the 19th century. When they left their home for another country it usually meant they were never coming back. That reminds me of the conversation between a chicken and a pig: The Chicken says: “Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a…
