Lutheran Spokesman

“I don’t know, Pastor. I just don’t know.” I could count on hearing that concern on every visit to the home of an elderly shut-in. He had been a faithful congregation member for decades. At that time a widower in his 80s with health declining and his family’s lack of interest in spiritual matters a deep disappointment, he expressed his Read More

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Who likes going to the hospital? It’s a place for the seriously ill or injured. It’s a place where invasive surgeries are performed and patients are closely monitored in intensive care units. Yet there is one place in the hospital where the atmosphere is entirely different. People like Read More

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Has the Reformation become a victim of its own success?

Remember lying in bed suffering from the telltale red rash of measles, burning up with a fever one minute and shivering uncontrollably the next? How about being told not to scratch the itchy chicken pox scabs, but still Read More

It’s the service no one wants to miss. After forty days of somber Lenten reflection and repentance, everyone is hungry for the exuberant joy of Easter morning. It’s time to put on the best dress and suit. Trumpets, organ, and voices crescendo into one thundering “Alleluia!” after another. In many of our churches the service is preceded or Read More

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Have you thought of downsizing? It might sound a little negative. Advertisers and even our own nature suggest to us that more is better. However, downsizing has become trendy. Baby boomers who no longer need a large house and a garage filled with lawn equipment and sports gear are getting rid Read More

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

“Your past is waiting to inspire you.” That is the intriguing tagline for a popular service which analyzes a person’s DNA in order to determine his ancestry. Have you tried it? Has a friend excitedly told you the results of her test? Does it really matter? Could the long-ago, Read More

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Publicly post ninety-five theses critical of the church’s money-making practice of indulgences. Question and eventually oppose the Pope himself. Stand before the Holy Roman Emperor and other powerful officials and when ordered to recant, instead state, “Unless I am Read More

How is your mood on Monday? During the NFL season in the community I call home, the Monday mood of many hinges on what happened the previous Sunday afternoon. If our team won, there are plenty of smiles to go around, and total strangers are eager to talk about what a great game it was. On the other hand, with a Sunday loss still fresh in mind, Read More

Surprises. They make up a big part of Christmas anticipation, don’t they? Packages of all shapes and sizes begin to appear under the tree, and with them the growing expectation of wonderful, exciting surprises. Who knows what might be in that small, square box—perhaps a ring? And it’s not just the presents we give and Read More

If two aspirin tablets take the edge off a headache, then four must be even better. If sixty minutes on the treadmill is good for the heart, then logging three hours nonstop will be especially beneficial. At least, that’s the thinking of some. Yet experience and common sense say otherwise. Too much of just about anything can be harmful or even Read More