For the first two decades of my life, as I sat in the pew during worship, I turned to the last printed page in The Lutheran Hymnal and read, “A Short Form for Holy Baptism in Cases of Necessity.” The very brief and simple instructions said: “In urgent cases, in
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A number of years ago I came across an article that spoke to church leaders about fostering positive momentum in the church. The author wrote about indicators of victory and indicators of defeat. If a congregation focused on the negative, what it lacked and where it failed, listeners would very
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I am happy to share with you that Dr. Keith Loomans was my mentor and friend. I first met Keith as a member of the review committee when I was hired into church work, and he acted as my part-time boss and advisor for a number of years. For those
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According to Dictionary.com, “Intercession” is defined as: 1) an act or instance of interceding; 2) an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person; 3) a prayer to God on behalf of another. If you’re like me – and I’m guessing most Christians are – you tend to think of
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Here is a story with no ending. Fictional Pastors Schmidt and Schultz shepherd LCMS congregations in neighboring towns. Both believe that Holy Scripture is the sole norm for faith and life in the church and both subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions (quia) as a true and proper exhibition and exposition
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The original mission we were given by God is recorded in Genesis 1. In verse 26, Moses records: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over … all the earth.’” This is how I read this: The intent
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If you have never witnessed the impact a Christ-centered 12-step program can have on an individual, it is truly a humbling experience. Vicar Adam Meyer got involved serving in a Recovery Ministry at the Austin Stone early in 2016 and was amazed to witness as people began to encounter God
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I stayed at a new Home2 Suites hotel the other day. It’s a fairly new hotel brand in the Hilton family of hotels. Hilton Worldwide had not launched a new brand in twenty years. So, why the new start? One important reason: new starts reach new people. For under a
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Once in a while, Christians don’t get along with one another. (Probably doesn’t happen in your congregation, but you’ve heard about it, right? Wink.) The end of Acts 15 provides insight on how Christians are to relate to one another when there is a difficult disagreement. The final six verses
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Did you know Legacy Deo (formerly Lutheran Foundation of Texas) supports the Texas District’s mission efforts? Thanks to past generosity of donors in the Lutheran community, Legacy Deo manages forty-six endowments and trusts totaling $6.5 million that ultimately benefit district ministries. Thirty of those accounts provide direct funding to mission
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