The Lutheran Church has several prayer services, mostly meant for us to use during the week. We have a morning-prayer service, Matins, which begins with these words from Psalm 51. The pastor chants, “O Lord, open my lips.” In response, the congregation chants back, “And my mouth will declare Your praise.” With those words, God […]
Hebrews 10:19-22: Christ’s Blood Gives Us Access to God
February 27, 2013 by
In some way, each of us has unique blood. It isn’t your blood type since others share your blood type, even if your blood type is rare. But each person does have other proteins, which help distinguish his blood from someone else’s. And that’s not even going into the DNA within each cell of someone’s […]
On Holy Ground
February 27, 2013 by
This is our pastor’s next article for the Stone County Gazette. Moses was in the wilderness watching over his father-in-law’s flock. That was nothing extraordinary. But as Moses was working on that ordinary task, something extraordinary took place. The messenger of the Lord revealed Himself in the flame of fire that burned from a […]
Evangelism, Lesson 2: Busting the Myths
February 27, 2013 by
Last week, we went over four Bible passages: Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Peter 3:14-16, Colossians 4:5-6, and Matthew 5:13-16. Of these four passages, Jesus directed the first to the Eleven, the Apostles, who were the New Testament Church’s first pastors. Scripture directs the other three passages to all believers and so they apply to all believers. […]
The Top 10 Reasons our Kids Leave Church
February 25, 2013 by
On February 8th, a blogger, Mark5solas, posted research he did on why youth are leaving the Church in droves. He interviewed many twenty-somethings and then wrote down what his research revealed. Yet, his research is more than intriguing. For what he found has been going on for a long time (for example, how many of […]
Genesis 32:22-32: God’s Promise to You
February 24, 2013 by
From the beginning, Jacob was a thief, a cheat, and a momma’s boy. He grew up to be a man who played favorites with his wives and children. He was always looking out for number one. When Esau, Jacob’s twin brother was born, Jacob was holding onto his older brother’s heel, looking as if, even […]
Hebrews 9:15-22: His Pardoning Blood
February 20, 2013 by
We know what a last will and testament is. Most of us normally just call it a “will.” A will is a legal document someone uses to transfer title of his property or goods after his death. It’s a way of making sure that what you have is given to those you want it. But […]
Genesis 3:1-21: Addicted to Sin
February 18, 2013 by
We began our 40-day journey to Easter this past Wednesday. On that night, we heard solemn words from the Prophet Joel, calling all to repent. Joel said, “Sound the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast and call for a solemn assembly! Gather the people! Consecrate the congregation! Assemble the aged. Gather the children and […]
Broken, Lesson 8: Worship of Self
February 18, 2013 by
These are a series of lessons adapted from Jonathan Fisk’s book, Broken. All are encouraged buy Broken to get the full content in the book. Never follow a rule to justify yourself. Seriously The 7th rule every Christian should break as often as possible is this: The worship of yourself. Seven Degrees of […]
Hebrews 9:6-14: Not All the Blood of Beasts
February 14, 2013 by
During this Lenten season, our midweek sermons will focus on blood. The sight of blood can unnerve us. We shudder at its sight, and it can make us feel faint or queasy. Today, many of us are deathly afraid of blood, which we know can carry horrifying diseases. But our distaste for blood doesn’t just […]
