This Sunday Necessary suffering No one, given the option, would choose to suffer. No moral person likes to watch another suffer. Yet, the Bible tells us suffering is necessary on our way to the kingdom of God. Moses, Paul, Peter, Jesus, and a host of other biblical characters suffered necessarily. What about you? What good…

This Sunday Church today Gather with the saints this weekend to learn from the pattern of the very first Christians. They loved the needy. They called out the idols. Idols? I’ve never bowed down to anything. Yes, but everybody lives for something. Something gives meaning to your life. That’s your god. The good news is that there is…

This Sunday Why Lutheran? Martin Luther was on his way to becoming a successful lawyer in 1505 when God intervened. He became a monk, a priest, and a professor instead. But he was confused and troubled by the teaching of his church until he began to teach the Bible, especially the book of Romans. His…

This Sunday That’s bold! The last time you said that, were you referring to a gutsy move, an offensive statement, or guacamole? The adjective bold covers a lot of ground, doesn’t it? The apostle Paul spoke the word of God boldly. While it’s interesting to ponder what that meant, it’s more meaningful to determine how we will boldly…

This Sunday An inconvenient truth Aren’t facts bothersome? Your doctor, mechanic, or accountant tell you, “This is the way it is.” You wish it wasn’t, but you can’t deny the fact. We’ve come to the first of three of Paul’s sermons recorded in the Book of Acts, and it deals with facts of Jesus. Some people found…

This Sunday An irresistible force meets an immovable object Paul and Barnabas sail from Antioch (Syria) and to the island of Cyprus, about 130 miles westward into the Mediterranean Sea. Imagine their excitement. But one of the first people they met was an agent of Satan who does his best to discredit the message of Jesus.…

This Sunday How you got your name Have you asked your parents why they gave you the name you have? Sometimes a deep meaning emerges, sometimes not. Either way, most of us want to know how we got our names. Do you know how you got the name Christian? The Bible says believers were first called Christians…

This Sunday Good to be a tree Catchphrases like “Be all that you can be” and “Do what you were made to do” hint at a deep-down drive inside the human heart that pushes us . . . and nags at us. Am I doing the right things? Am I doing them well enough? If…

This Sunday God’s love is better than… Anything you really love, you praise. You have to. Try going to a Packer or Badger game and not cheering. If you’re a fan, you can’t. Praise erupts spontaneously, and you do it better with others. In our last week on Psalm 63, we will invite the Spirit…

This Sunday A sense of God What’s your favorite sense? Hard to choose, isn’t it? Throughout Scripture, the Spirit uses our senses to help us appreciate and know God. For example, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Gather with saints this Thursday or Sunday to encounter God in his Word and at his…