At the age of forty years Moses was ready to solve Israel’s problems his way. He saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite and killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:11ff)…and then had to flee for his life! At the age of eighty a humbled Moses was a shepherd working for his father-in-law when a day came… Read More »Prepared, Called, and Equipped Read More

The recording of family histories has changed over the years, from grainy sepia tone, to black and white, to full vivid color, to digital. The storage of these family memories has likewise transitioned from shoeboxes to archival paper with adhesive corners to magnetic pages in bound books to the ethereal album on a smartphone or… Read More »The Last Picture Read More

“…The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.” (John 10:25) When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried… Read More »Victorious with Jesus— Spread the Word! Read More

One doesn’t have to search far to find examples of human life being devalued. The periodic acts of violence in our nation’s schools and streets are regular reminders. So too are the statistics of abuse—physical and chemical—whether self-inflicted or by others. Statistics tell a similar tale in the running record of suicides, assisted suicides, abortions,… Read More »The Value of Life Read More

A large percentage of Christians today are Millennialists, eagerly waiting for Christ to return to establish a thousand-year reign on the Earth. This expectation also includes false teachings such as a “rapture” of believers and a “battle of Armageddon” (to name but two). This millennial outlook concerning the end of time is not supported by… Read More »Readiness for Christ’s Return in Glory Read More

There are milestones, course-changing events, and other momentous days that define our personal histories. These pivotal points may be filled with great joy or great sorrow, significant success or monumental failure, or anything in between. In all cases, these events are how we mark time and blessing. Viewing these events with Scripture’s light shining upon… Read More »ILHS-Mankato Graduation 2013 Read More

Moses prayed for it at Mt. Sinai when he said,   “If Your Presence does not go with  us, do not bring us up from here.”     Gideon wanted to be certain he had it, so he asked for the signs of wet fleece on dry ground and dry fleece on wet ground (Judges 6:36ff). King… Read More »Led by God Read More

On that first Easter morning the soldiers guarding Jesus’ tomb saw the angel come and roll away the stone, but they squandered the opportunity to be powerful witnesses and took the bribe to remain silent. “You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:48) Mary Magdalene’s heart overflowed with love for her Lord—first in weeping as… Read More »Witnesses of an Empty Tomb Read More

The contrast was stark.  The underlying message was startling.  Two newspaper headlines, one on either side of the fold, told two very different stories.  Read More

And as He stands in victory, Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me. For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ. (‘In Christ Alone,’ arr. Keith Getty, Stuart Townsend) With such words as those above, the assembly which was gathered for the graduation service of Immanuel Lutheran High… Read More »Immanuel Lutheran High School Mankato, Minnesota Graduation – June 3, 2012 Read More

475th Anniversary of the SMALCALD ARTICLES “…The Word of God shall establish articles of faith and no one else, not even an angel.” (Luther, SA, Part II, Art. II) 4.Of Sin and the Law As Dr. Martin Luther moves into the third part of his confession, he undertakes a discussion of articles “which we may discuss… Read More »This We Believe Read More

A Review of Dr. Martin Luther’s  Smalcald Articles 2. Of The Mass The faithfulness of an individual’s or a church’s doctrinal confession depends on its foundation. A set of beliefs that begins with false premises and man-made ideas is sure to end up in error. Read More

Exodus Chapters 15-17  (with your Bible in hand) The Children of Israel were navigating uncharted paths. Never before had the descendants of Abraham been such a great nation. Never before had God delivered a people from bondage as He had Israel from Egypt. Never before had any of these people been led through a wilderness… Read More »Sing a New Song Daily Read More

Christian education is, first and foremost, an activity for the home. God has called parents to train their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) and make them wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). A Christian fellowship is able to support the home by providing Sunday School, Christian Day school, Vacation… Read More »A Winning Team Read More

Moses was in a showdown with Egypt’s powerful king. Though the king despised Moses, the people of Egypt had come to live in fear and awe of him: “The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people” (Exodus 11:3). As… Read More »A Deliverance for the Ages Read More

“The same, but different” is an oxymoron—two ideas that are seemingly contradictory. Yet when one talks about our unchanging, eternal God in the context of a changing world, “the same, but different” often applies.  An example of “the same, but different” was evident at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Mankato on June 8, 2014. In the… Read More »Graduating with the Spirit Read More

“All History is GOD’S STORY!”  – No. 23 in series: Genesis chapters 46-50 “…few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”  Genesis 47:9 Jacob was standing beforethe Pharaoh of… Read More »Jacob in Egypt Read More

(#4 in Series) Patriotism vs. Evangelism It must have been there all along, only lying inactive and unused. It must have already been there in order to come alive so quickly and so forcefully. Patriotism must have been in us and our fellow Americans, but was perhaps put in the closet of our minds because… Read More »Our Nation in Crisis–Our God Still A Refuge Read More

# 5 (and last) in series FEAR ITSELF “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” With these words President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sought to calm a nation in panic, after a “run” on the nation’s banks during the time of the Depression. Fear can quickly take a life of its own–one fear… Read More »Our Nation in Crisis; Our God Still a Refuge– Read More

(#3 in Series) LET US PRAY! During the past week we came to the “one month” mark since the terrorists’ attack upon our country, and we saw our country begin its response to the attack. Not only during the past week but in all the weeks since the attack, many people have offered many prayers.… Read More »Our Nation in Crisis; Our God Still A Refuge– Read More