We filed out of the suburban loaded with youth as a man came out of the house and introduced himself. “Hello Troy,” I said and started a round of introductions during which we told him the names and hometowns of our team. “It is going to be really hot this
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Here are some census numbers from census.gov that begin to paint a picture of rural life in America. Rural areas in this country cover about 97 percent of the land. A little over 19 percent of the population (60 Million) live on this land. A significantly higher percentage of families
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The Center of Hope first opened its doors in 1985 in a rented room next to a laundry mat in downtown Livingston to respond to the physical and spiritual needs of low-income families in Polk County. A significant reason for starting the mission was that several churches in the area
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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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I sat with a man I’ll call Diego at a recent gathering of a newly launched church. The church is gathering at a local rehab center. Residents join with people from around the community for worship, conversation, relationship building, prayer and fun. The rehab center residents invite family and staff
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Is it possible to make mission inroads into the wild, remote and independent communities of West Texas? Through the work of Dr. Margaret Peterson, God is opening doors by opening books. Throughout this year, Margaret has been looking at West Texas communities from a missionary perspective. Through much prayer, the
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(This blog is a slightly-edited version of a column I wrote for Area D Connections, July 1, 2013. Some recent experiences cause me to commend these comments to you once again.) Nowhere is Scripture soft on false teaching. And nowhere is Scripture soft on our responsibility to hold to sound
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Several new communities are being reached with the Gospel of Jesus in the Rio Grande Valley through a variety of mission outreach efforts. One involves potatoes—yes, you read correctly: spuds, Idaho’s best, Mister and Missus, the raw material for French Fries. The Orphan Grain Train blesses the Rio Grande Valley
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Wherever I go, I find people of God who want to be better equipped to witness. They long to be able to tell people the good news of Jesus. But they lack confidence. They feel unprepared. They are afraid. What is wrong? I have found that the core to our
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In my blog dated June 6, 2016, I identified three issues as the most important at this summer’s LCMS national convention. Here is a concise summary of the action taken on those issues along with some brief reflections. Ecclesiastical supervision. The floor committee put forth a proposal to amend the
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